The Politically Incorrect Guide to the British Empire

By: H. W. Crocker III

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's Summary

Nothing offends liberals more than Western imperialism—it is racism, sexism, and chauvinism all in one. And of course the epitome of Western imperialism is the British Empire, the biggest empire the world has ever known, covering at its height a quarter of the globe’s surface and ruling a quarter of the world’s population. Here, best-selling author H. W. Crocker III exposes—in brawling, rambunctious style—how the British Empire was actually one of the greatest establishers and defenders of freedom in history.

So strap on your pith helmet for a rollicking ride through some of history’s most colorful events. The Politically Incorrect Guide to the British Empire provides a panoramic and provocative view of 400 years of history that will delight and amuse, educate and entertain.

Listen to more Politically Incorrect Guides.

©2011 H. W. Crocker III (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"As someone who grew up in India, I often hear people ask, ‘What have the British done for us?’ Until I read this book, I didn’t have the full answer.” (Dinesh D’Souza,  New York Times best-selling author)

More Propaganda than History

Before I start this review I want to say that politically I consider myself solidly on the right. I enjoy reading about European Empire’s and do so frequently. However I found this book to veer more into propaganda and far right wing bigotry than solid unbiased history.

The author sets off to try and show that the British Empire was a entirely positive entity with basically no faults. Somewhat bizarrely in order to do this he goes through many of the worst crimes of the Empire like the Amritsar Massacre and various enslavements of peoples and tries to explain why they were actually good things. He calls the genocide of the Maori “fun with muskets”. And says the Opium Wars were great examples of free trade that was good for China. How importing tons of addictive drugs into China and fighting a war to do this was good for them he doesn’t explain.

Compare that to a much better written book about the Brits, Niall Ferguson’s Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World, where in order to show the positives of the Empire he talks about how it made people richer and more interconnected. In this book the main way the Empire is shown is, look at these atrocities, they were actually justified because these other people were so primitive, and it showed our people’s natural superiority and made them richer and better at fighting our other enemies. Which I don’t think the average person will find a very convincing argument. I think the fact that the author is actually an American from the South who usually tries to justify the Confederacy and show actual slavery in a good light is what hurts this book. He lacks a sort of elegance of a British academic and more comes off a trashy southerner trying to proclaim his racial superiority.

The author repeatedly tries to credit England with the invention of “The Republic” which is funny because that’s a Latin word. The context for basically every thing the authors condemns in the book is very poorly given. He tries to ignore the things like why people would be upset about massacres, and enslavement. And finds very roundabout ways to show that people like Gandhi were actually terrible.

Mid way through the book he has a chapter about Ireland. In which he basically finds every major quote in which a historical figure says something negative about the Irish. He then goes on to ironically calls them a hateful people, and relatedly call them poor ignorant savages who deserved in his own words to be made into Helots(slaves).

In you are looking for a unbiased book about the British Empire I’d go for The British Empire by Stephan W. Sears. If you are looking for a book that shows the Empire positively I’d read Empire: How Britain Made The Modern World. Which is a book that is actually persuasive. The politically incorrect guide reads more like propaganda, that teaches very biased history without much greater context. And has undertones of raving racism and snobbery to anyone that’s not a White Anglo Saxon Protestant who is sympathetic to slave owners.

Incorrect and weak historical summery

While trying to come off as coherent and rebellious challenging modern concepts on the nature of past British imperialism. The historic narrative sharply veered off into the realm of implausible followed by impossible and finally landing squarely within the realm of the ridiculous.
It is understandable, and praise worthy, to develop perhaps an understanding of British imperialism from the perspective of the twin pillars of liberalism and conservatism. These concepts were terribly defined. It is not understandable to simply excuse outward racism and prejudice.
I have many more serious problems not least of which the overt sexism, clear bias towards religious fundimentalism, and describing the second opium war as a victory to instill free trade, but I won't spend all night writing this review. The real point of this book is a poorly written excuse riddled fantasy account of history extolling the virtues of a fictional Libertarianism over a modern equally fictional 'politically correct' Socialism.
TL;DR This book is garbage. Not worth the read.

Awe inspiring

By the end, I lamented both the end of the book and the fall of the British Empire!

While this is not a white-washing of the history of Britain, it is a tale seldom told of the rose, glory, and recession of the greatest empire in the history of man.

You disagree? I challenge you to listen to the tale of this book with a truthful heart and not form a similar conclusion.

I really wanted to hear the logic

Alas, there is only rambling. Author completely ignores things like a) relative riches of India China and other colonies before British colonialism b) brutality and viciousness of many events during occupation c) lack of parliamentary representation of subjugated peoples. And so on.
He rambles on hopping between disconnected things like communism, French colonialism, 2-word quotes from American presidents etc.,

The Author chose violence? or Violent humor?

Torn. If this is indeed satire it's worth a chuckle until you realize it's not funny for white people to joke about white supremacy, genocide and the institution of slavery in a historical text.

If it is not satire it is the truth about white supremacy justified as simply being politically incorrect and that's a special kind of sick twisted evil.

Highly entertaining avalanche of lies

Mass murder, racisism and imperialist exploitation sugar coated and decorously obscured for popular consumption. Jolly good show. Pax Britannia? Savor mass murder as embodied by lopsided body counts. Terrifying and terrible imperial terrorism glossed over. A fascinating teeth bearing saber rattling celebration of centuries of racist state terror, murder, torture and oppression. Any well informed person can see through the author's stunning compendium of deadly lies. If you enjoy stunning narcissism and nativism this book will stroke your ego. A pleasant and enjoyable feel good discription par excellence of banality and stupifying evil couched in varnished and burnished bald faced manipulative lies. Nice. Enjoy!

Definitely Not Politically Correct

I quite liked the book, which challenged the notion that the British Empire was a bad thing from beginning to end. Crocker could have made a stronger case if he had either not focused so much on the biographies of individual imperialists or if he had better explained the importance of those whose bios he covered.

An informative primer on the British Empire

Challenging common assumptions about the origins, methods and consequences of the British Empire, this primer argues that most nations benefited from British rule. How would the world look like today if the British Empire never existed?

Then the book briefly compares the British, Spanish, French, Russian, and German imperial practices. It appears that being ruled by the British was more humane. Individual rights matter more. Religious tolerance and economic development are far more common. The author argues that the British Commonwealth provides far better governance than the typical UN member state.

Yet the author’s principal method of historical narrative focuses on prominent British leaders, spies, and military commanders across the centuries. The thumbnail biographies often transform dry facts into compelling glimpses into influential lives: Henry Hudson, Captain Cook, Francis Drake, George Washington, Sir Richard Francis Burton, General Gordon, T.E.Lawrence, and Winston Churchill, The sympathetic portrayal of some other British figures reflects a nostalgic ethos.

This book - like the more popular, once revisionist accounts - works better at complicated one-dimensional narratives. It reminds 21st readers of some often forgotten facts and provides additional context to contemporary, multiculturalist versions.

This niche account also helps explain both the spread of democratic values and the rarity of good governance in many nations today. The British Empire set the stage, in this version of history, for a more democratic, idealistic American empire.

How long will this latest English speaking era last? Would a new Chinese empire be as humane as the British Empire? Shall we ask the residents of (and exiles from) Hong Kong?

I strongly recommend this Audible recording as a supplement, not primary, source on the British Empire.

An excellent history

This book is an excellent history of the Brirish Empire. The world we know today owes a great deal to the British. The book tells this history by highlighting a variety of characters who were unique, talented, and sometimes controversial. It is refreshing to hear a history that is not filled with modern whining about the past.

There is a great deal in this book that one cannot find taught in schools.

Awful bit of revisionist propaganda.

Went into this thinking it might be an open minded deep dive into the realities of empire. Good and bad.

What I got was basically that the noble Britain saved the unwashed heathens from themselves.

Honestly, I am most disappointed that Ray Porter gave voice to this tome of hate.

Not what I thought it'd be

The book consists of around 20 disconnected autobiographical histories of important figures who created the British Empire. However, there is virtually no argument for or against the British Empire being a good or a bad thing. Rather, Crocker just seems to like the people he describes and on the basis that they were quite fascinating characters the British Empire was a good thing. Any sort of analysis of what the British Empire actually did, for good or ill, was not present.

Outstanding homage to the greatest empire.

A great, accurate and factual account of the glorious triumph of humanity that is the Great British Empire. There are many nefarious individuals who desperately work day and night to keep this truth from the public conscious. They are failing.

The British Empire

How can you be anti British, after listening to this?!
Very thankful I stumbled across this book.

Unlistenable

A book that promotes itself with such pomp and ceremony, that dives head first into Britishness, to be read by a robotic American is absurd. Absolutely unlistenable. Make no mistake, I am sure the narrator is perfect for other tasks but it simply doesn't work here. I got Audible on a free trial and this was one of the books. I'm glad I didn't pay for it.

rule britannia

Nice book, that gives you a little insight into the much washed over and over simplified elements of the past

Heroic

Well researched, well written and read with appropriate panache as befits a subject of such magnitude, complexity and significance. The author , though far from being uncritical , asserts the many benefits brought by Pax Britannica. Commerce , profit and self preservation were not the whole story, and in the main the Empire's reliance on fair dealing and good governance with a light touch is amply dealt with. It is a view of the British Empire that needed to be told.

A valuable listen

This book provides a much needed counter to the popular disparaging view of the British empire.

It flows nicely from region to region not shying from some of the ugly points but showing the hands-off paternalistic role Britain played in most of its territories.

Informative. Eye opening.

I found this book to be a great insight about a time the British are now made to feel ashamed about. Highly informative & well researched with only a few pieces of creative influence from the author. I fact checked around a dozen references and all appeared to be correct.

Brilliant listen if history is your thing. If not, still worth a try. I will be purchasing the next one in the series.

Good narrative but some gross oversimplifications

Broadly a good narrative, which is necessarily quite high level. However, at times the book is over simplified / has some gross ommissions to fit the doggedly-pro empire opinion. British exit from India for example makes no mention of the US and UN (and the financial pressures on the UK) rather that exit was primarily due to unnecessary magnanimity after defeat of the Indian national army, and that this just encouraged further civil revolt.

Much needed critical approach to history

Everyone’s view will be different, but this provides valuable evidence that rarely appears in modern debate. The public “woke” view often has little research. It doesn’t paint a totally perfect picture of the empire, but it’s more rounded than most.