Hardback

eBook

Add to GoodReads

Historical Dictionary of the British Empire

Kenneth J. Panton

For much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Britain was the dominant world power, its strength based in large part on its command of an Empire that, in the years immediately after World War I, encompassed almost one-quarter of the earth’s land surface and one-fifth of its population. Writers boasted that the sun never set on British possessions, which provided raw materials that, processed in British factories, could be re-exported as manufactured products to expanding colonial markets. The commercial and political might was not based on any grand strategic plan of territorial acquisition, however. The Empire grew piecemeal, shaped by the diplomatic, economic, and military circumstances of the times, and its speedy dismemberment in the mid-twentieth century was, similarly, a reaction to the realities of geopolitics in post-World War II conditions. Today the Empire has gone but it has left a legacy that remains of great significance in the modern world.

The Historical Dictionary of the British Empire covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 700 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Britain.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 766 • Trim: 6½ x 9¼

978-0-8108-7801-3 • Hardback • May 2015 • $224.00 • (£173.00)

978-0-8108-7524-1 • eBook • May 2015 • $212.50 • (£165.00)

Series: Historical Dictionaries of Ancient Civilizations and Historical Eras

Subjects: History / Europe / Great Britain / General, Reference / Dictionaries

Historical Dictionary of the British Empire

Hardback

eBook

Summary

For much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Britain was the dominant world power, its strength based in large part on its command of an Empire that, in the years immediately after World War I, encompassed almost one-quarter of the earth’s land surface and one-fifth of its population. Writers boasted that the sun never set on British possessions, which provided raw materials that, processed in British factories, could be re-exported as manufactured products to expanding colonial markets. The commercial and political might was not based on any grand strategic plan of territorial acquisition, however. The Empire grew piecemeal, shaped by the diplomatic, economic, and military circumstances of the times, and its speedy dismemberment in the mid-twentieth century was, similarly, a reaction to the realities of geopolitics in post-World War II conditions. Today the Empire has gone but it has left a legacy that remains of great significance in the modern world.

The Historical Dictionary of the British Empire covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 700 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Britain.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 766 • Trim: 6½ x 9¼

978-0-8108-7801-3 • Hardback • May 2015 • $224.00 • (£173.00)

978-0-8108-7524-1 • eBook • May 2015 • $212.50 • (£165.00)

Series: Historical Dictionaries of Ancient Civilizations and Historical Eras

Subjects: History / Europe / Great Britain / General, Reference / Dictionaries

Author

Kenneth J. Panton is professor emeritus at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he was dean of the Honors College. His publications include five previous books for Scarecrow―the two-volume Historical Dictionary of the United Kingdom (co-authored with Keith A. Cowlard), the Historical Dictionary of London, the Historical Dictionary of the Contemporary United Kingdom (also co-authored with Keith Cowlard), and, most recently, the Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy.

Table of Contents

Editor’s Foreword, Jon Woronoff
Preface
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Map: Former Territories of the British Empire
Chronology
Introduction
THE DICTIONARY
Bibliography
Appendix A: Secretaries of State with Responsibilities for the Colonies
Appendix B: The Changing Membership of the Commonwealth of Nations
About the Author

Reviews

Panton presents a 20-page chronology that is followed by 700-plus brief entries on people, places, politics, institutions, religion, culture, economy and events. The cross-referenced entries are short, averaging three paragraphs in length each, and successfully place the subject in its historical context. End matter includes two appendixes; the first details the names, dates, and parties of the colonial secretaries, and the second is a chronology of the membership of the Commonwealth of Nations. . . .VERDICT: Recommended where there is a demonstrable need and/or for those libraries collecting the series.
— Library Journal

This thoroughly documented single-volume historical dictionary offers in-depth entries about the diverse British Empire from 1497 to 2012. In addition to a wealth of alphabetical topics ranging from Tunku Abdul Rahman (1903-'90) to the Zulu War of 1879, the author provides a concise introduction to the British Empire from its earliest beginnings through its decline and legacy, along with an accurate chronology of historical events. For example, the 6-page entry on the American Revolution illustrates substantial research and selection of resources. This impressive work includes a comprehensive 116-page bibliography of works utilized within the text. The author has written four additional historical dictionaries about the United Kingdom, and the entries within this volume expertly define the significant world events that the British Empire encompassed. A good choice for public and academic library history collections.
— Booklist

Like his earlier coauthored dictionaries on the UK—Historical Dictionary of the United Kingdom, volumes 1 and 2—this volume by Panton is carefully researched, well written, and nicely presented. At over 100 pages, the bibliography is surely the most exhaustive ever found in such tomes. The two appendixes (listing secretaries of state of the colonies, along with a time line of the development of the Commonwealth) complement the entries. . . .Commendable...are the entries on the individual islands in the Pacific and the various tribal areas in southern Africa, as they are frequently overlooked in works of this nature. Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduates and general readers.
— Choice Reviews

Overall, the Historical Dictionary of the British Empire is a major achievement and Panton is to be congratulated on tackling such a major subject in a single volume.
— Reference Reviews

Historical Dictionary of the British Empire

Kenneth J. Panton

Historical Dictionary of the British Empire

ALSO AVAILABLE