The Rise and Fall of the British Empire

By: Patrick N. Allitt, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Patrick N. Allitt

Length: 18 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

What were the forces that thrust the British Empire to its extraordinary position of greatness and then just as powerfully drove it into decline? And why is nearly every nation on earth, in one way or another, the consequence of the British Empire?

In these 36 lectures, Professor Allitt leads you through four centuries of British power, innovation, influence, and, ultimately, diminishment - four profound centuries that literally remade the world and bequeathed the complex global legacy that continues to shape your everyday life. This is a remarkable lecture series; one that will give you fresh insights into world history in a wide range of areas - political, economic, technological, social, and more. And it will also give you a comprehensive overview you won't find offered anywhere else - a context into which you can integrate new knowledge about this country, as well as understand the background of current events in so many other countries that were once part of Britain's empire, from Ireland to China, and in Africa and the Caribbean. Indeed, it seems fair to say that one cannot truly understand the most important aspects of world history without a firm grasp of the history of the British Empire. In giving you that grasp, these lectures draw on a vast range of critical events, riveting personalities, revealing anecdotes, and eloquent quotations.

Compelling, comprehensive, and astonishing in the force of its narrative power, each lecture will give you a refreshing new understanding of what made the British Empire both great in its achievements and vulnerable to its eventual downfall.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2009 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2009 The Great Courses

A real history

This is a course that explores the history of the British Empire without glorification or condemnation, giving a balanced look at both the good and the bad. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Usual great job from the author

I know it's trite, but Allitt really does make history "come alive"! Rather than just a list of names, places and dates, he incorporates British society and culture.

Great presenter

This is very great lecture series and I believe the professor tried to present a very unbiased opinion of the material. I enjoyed listening to these lectures. Everything presented was from the perspective of that period and not by looking back and judging by today's standards, which is a mistake people often make. I probably listen to this again in the future.

Chock full of great information and stories

The lecturer does a great job of covering an enormously complex theme. In addition to the basic history, he includes information from various complementary subjects, ranging from Victorian literature to sports (cricket). The numerous dates, names, places and stories make it a little hard to digest all at once, but at the same time, they are what make the whole book all the more interesting. I'm sure I'll read it at least once or twice more, and probably more after that too.

A Fascinating account of the Colonial British Empire

Professor Allitt gives a broad, detailed account of the rise and decline of the British Empire. Though not strictly chronological, his lectures encompass the history backgrounds of many of the colonial lands, people's, and outstanding individuals and their contributions to the Empire.

It's a lot to get through--but it's worth it!

It took me an embarrassingly long time to finish this audio course, but I found Professor Allitt's lectures to be both engaging and clear. To be fair, I probably only remember about 1% of the material covered, but I sure enjoyed the ride along the way!

Comprehensive history. Nicely structured.

The author has a bias towards the British empire. If you discount that, it is a very good book. The book kept me engaged. Covered many (all) aspects of the empire.

great history of the British empire.

I enjoyed these lectures. they ere very information and very interesting. it tells a great story.

Gotta love the great courses

For a faux intellectual like myself these are very good for sounding smart, and as we all know that's all that matters

The sun never sets on the British empire!

“What should we suppose must naturally be the consequence of our carrying on a slave trade with Africa? With a country, vast in its extent, not utterly barbarous, but civilized in a very small degree? Does anyone suppose a slave trade would help their civilization?” William Wilberforce


1 The Sun Never Set

2 The Challenge to Spain in the New World

3 African Slavery and the West Indies

4 Imperial Beginnings in India

5 Clive and the Conquest of India

6 Wolfe and the Conquest of Canada

7 The Loss of the American Colonies

8 Exploring the Planet

9 Napoleon Challenges the Empire

10 The Other Side of the World

11 Abolition of the Slave Trade and Slavery

12 Early African Colonies

13 China and the Opium Wars

14 Britain—The Imperial Center

15 Ireland—The Tragic Relationship

16 India and the "Great Game"

17 Rebellion and Mutiny in India

18 How Canada Became a Nation

19 The Exploration and Settlement of Africa

20 Gold, Greed, and Geopolitics in Africa

21 The Empire in Literature

22 Economics and Theories of Empire

23 The British Empire Fights Imperial Germany

24 Versailles and Disillusionment

25 Ireland Divided

26 Cricket and the British Empire

27 British India between the World Wars

28 World War II—England Alone

29 World War II—The Pyrrhic Victory

30 Twilight of the Raj

31 Israel, Egypt, and the Suez Canal

32 The Decolonization of Africa

33 The White Dominions

34 Britain after the Empire

35 Colonial and Postcolonial Literature

36 Epitaph and Legacy

These 36 lectures and 140 page PDF tell the story of the British Empire from its very beginnings to its death knell. Professor Alitt does not sugar coat anything but tells us that Britain truly believed they were the masters of the earth and were the best to rule over it. He also tells us that the true reason of their domination was the love of money, which I think, is true of any conquerors. Deep down it is always about money. If it no longer pays than it is time to cut your losses.

I learned a great deal about British history that I never learned in high school. The British empire began with the colonies in America and ended with South Africa apartheid. At one time, the sun never set on the British Empire. The professor also says that the people of Great Britain are still better off today than they ever were before.
I learned about the Irish problem and home rule. I learned that Britain learned from their loss of the American colonies and never went to war again with any of their colonies but compromised. I learned that when the empire allowed the colonies to separate from them there usually was chaos and bloodshed as the various factions sought revenge and power over their perceived enemies.

The professor also taught us about the importance of cricket and the wealth of literature that came from the British Empire. From Rudyard Kipling “Gunga Din” to Alan Paton’s “Cry The Beloved Country.”

Anyone with a love of British history will enjoy these lectures. They also will be thirsty for more information and will continue to pursue this hunger with more books on the empire. I think that should be the goal of every teacher, to awaken that hunger for knowledge in his or her students.