Empire

Outline

Empire (2003) offers a sweeping history of the British Empire and its role in shaping the modern world. Niall Ferguson examines how the empire spread trade, capital, language, law, and systems of government, while also discussing slavery, famine, and violence carried out in its name. The book presents a much-debated argument about the empire’s lasting legacy.

• The British Empire helped spread trade, capital, language, law, and systems of government across much of the world.
• Ferguson treats the empire as a major force in shaping the modern world, not a minor chapter of history.
• The book looks honestly at slavery, famine, and violence carried out in the empire's name.
• Its argument about the empire's lasting legacy is much debated, so readers are invited to weigh it for themselves.

Niall Ferguson is a Scottish historian, born in 1964, and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He writes widely on financial, economic, and international history. His other books include The Ascent of Money and Civilisation.