A History of Britain: Volume 3

By: Simon Schama

Narrated by: Stephen Thorne

Length: 20 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Timothy West reads the third and concluding volume of award-winning historian Simon Schama's compelling chronicle of the British Isles.

Here he illuminates the period from 1776 to 2000 through a variety of historical themes, including Victorian advances in technology and industry, women's increasing role in society, and the burgeoning British Empire which promised civilisation and material betterment for all. This volume also looks at key characters from the period, including Wordsworth, Burke, Queen Victoria, Churchill, and Orwell, whilst examining some lesser-known lives, such as Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, the first woman doctor, and Mary Seacole, a Jamaican nurse in the Crimea. Finally, Schama reflects on the overwhelming presence of the past in the 20th century, and the struggle of our leaders to find a way of making a different national future.

©2012 Simon Schama (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Volume 3 Is an outstanding conclusion to history.

Sailed right through this concluding volume. The narrator brought this scholarship to life. I truly enjoyed it.

Thoroughly entertaining and interesting book on the rise and fall of Britain and the Empire

Extremely interesting book on rise and fall of Britain from 1776 to 2000. The book focuses on people who made the history rather than just the events. As a result I learned about many famous Brits of whom I was unaware.
Plenty of good information on the Empire and of course the magnificent but flawed Winston Churchill. Highly recommended for anyone with a love or interest on that green and sacred land and Celtic cousins.

The modern world

This closes out the set of “A History of Britain” and it is as good as the other two, but again, I must remind you that this is not a typical history book. If you’re expecting a detailed, relatively chronological narrative of history with dates, events, and people you can memorize, look elsewhere. 

Instead, Schama, who wrote this as the narrative for a TV series, is out for understanding, and in that, he does fairly well. Intimate detail is lacking and some events are missing, but in reading this, you’ll end with a better understanding of how it developed. This book begins with the French Revolution and the question, at the time, of whether it would happen also in Britain. Schama shows how Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s philosophy  of trying to get back to nature and its impression on British writers and elites. Indeed, there was a demand for radical change to Britain and its class-based rule by people such as Tom Paine and Mary Wollstonecraft. And, there was great change, but in incremental stages. Schama spends a great part of the book on the changing role of women through the lives of women reformers in the Victorian error who demanded a greater voice but also social reform to help the poor. 

The subtitle of the book is “The Fate of the Empire” and by that, he is not just dealing with the issue of the demise of the empire but with the questions being raised about its nature. Early in the book, he narrates the celebration of its industrial power but also its imperialist power at the Great Exhibition. But, as the movement to change the structure of the nation to do more for the commoners and expand the “democracy” from the nobility to the industrialists and eventually to all, the same "civilizing mission" also spread to the empire, with a desire to eradicate poverty and ignorance in all the areas under British rule. But, the reality was often quite different as he shows in the history of the 1857 Sepoy Revolt in India and the mismanagement and indifference that resulted in and exacerbated the massive famines that kept happening in India and also even closer to home in Ireland. 

In what he calls the “difficult” 20th century, all of this began to come to a head but because of external forces but also because the empire had never really committed itself to achieving the lofty goals that it often tried to picture. He spends  a good deal of time on some of the heroes such as Admiral Nelson, George Orwell, and, of course, Winston Churchill, but brings up many others, some of whom are unknown to all but avid historians. With Nelson, Orwell, and Winston, he gives a brief history of their lives and their contributions to history but ultimately shows how the grand ideals, promises, and the veneer of the righteousness of the empire were, in the end, only illusions, and very costly ones at that. 

When it gets to modern history, there were be a lot of debate since it is recent enough that our emotions can color even our memories, but Schama has done well in taking an objective path while avoiding taking no stand at all. I found this book to be refreshing and helpful in understanding both history and today.

Brilliant insights

Readable witty and easy to follow in audible form. Original tales on Churchill Orwell and monarchy

An interesting and entertaining final volume

The final volume in the history is as good as the first two. By the time the listener is on the 3rd volume Thorne's voice is like that of an old friend. Actually, when I read the blurb about the 3rd volume it mentioned that the narrator was different and I was taken aback because at that point it would have been weird to switch voices. However, the blurb was thankfully inaccurate. The histories of Queen Victoria and Winston Churchill are two of the highlights of the final volume. The history of British rule in India is also fascinating. I was a bit disappointed with the last bit of the book because post-WWII Britain is basically just skimmed over. The author had forewarned us that this would be the case but I had held out hope that he was exaggerating. Alas, Schama was telling the truth. I would have liked to hear more about how Britain dealt with Ireland becoming independent and how it handled the breakup of its empire. I also wanted to hear a more detailed account of Thatcher's history. My biggest disappointment concerned the history of the crown. I was looking forward to learning what it was that changed the crown from being of chief importance to being a ceremonial relic. I wanted to know how things changed so much in so little time but it was never explained or really even touched on. Queen Victoria's reign ended in the early 1900's and by all accounts she was the supreme ruler of Britain and extremely important (the period is named after her after all). In my lifetime Queen Elizabeth II has been irrelevant to all besides tabloid magazine editors. How did that happen? I never learned this. I don't recall King Edward VIII giving up the crown in order to marry a divorced woman being mentioned at all, and if it was it wasn't discussed at any length. I would have liked to hear more about the 2nd half of the 20th century.

Wonderfully detailed!

It is a long book but what would you expect? Britain is old. What I have enjoyed about this series of books is it’s focus, not just in wars but on the people and social forces at work in society. This is a must read for serious history buffs.

The story of a lost Empire

As always from Simon Schama and Stephen Thorne an immaculate narrative so well performed.However I would have preferred more detailed history on British involvement with its Colonial aspirations and subsequent set backs such as the First Great War and the aftermath on the Second.

Excellent trilogy

I listen to the entire trilogy. Excellent history of England. found it extremely interesting the narrator was good highly recommend

Great history

I found this series most fascinating, informative and appealing to my interests. I would recommend all three volumes.

A Must Read

I have loved all three volumes of this stunning series and will read all of them again and use them for references. Highlighting key personalities and developing their character within the context of their time period makes the writing personal, intimated and riveting.