The British Empire was the creation of a tremendous outpouring of energy and opportunism, when the British were at their most self-confident, and the wealth they gathered was prodigious. At its heart lay a sense of the rectitude of the British way of life, meted out to vast swathes of the rest of the world without let or hindrance.  Yet, as this book shows, the empire was not formed by coherent policy, and its decline reflected this: its later years were characterised by a series of accidental oversights, decisions taken without due consideration for the consequences, and uncertain pragmatism. Many of the world's trouble spots are those left behind by the chaotic retreat of empire, and its ghosts continue to haunt today's international scene. The problems the empire encountered have still not been resolved and in Iraq, Kashmir, Burma, Sudan, Nigeria and Hong Kong new difficulties have arisen which continue to baffle politicians and diplomats. This powerful new book addresses the realities of the British Empire from its inception to its demise, questioning the nature of its glory and cataloguing both the inadequacies of its ideals and the short-termism of its actions.

Ghosts of Empire

Kwasi Kwarteng

History

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

<p>War and Gold: A Five-Hundred-Year History of Empires, Adventures and Debt [hardcover] Kwasi Kwarteng [Jan 01, 2012]</p>

War and Gold: A Five-Hundred-Year History of Empires, Adventures and Debt

Bloomsbury Publishing

<p>Margaret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister in 1979, the first woman to hold the position, and the first woman in the Western world to lead a nation. Within two years she was beset by troubles, and it seemed her historic government would be short-lived. In 1981 unemployment had risen to levels not seen since the 1930s and public finances foundered in their worst state since 1945. The 'no hope' budget delivered by Chancellor Geoffrey Howe in March marked the beginning of a six-month period which witnessed pressures in Northern Ireland, hunger strikes, urban riots and unprecedented unrest within the Conservative Party. By the Cabinet reshuffle of 14 September, in which mutinous grandees were removed, Thatcher had firmly reasserted her authority. This extraordinary six-month period would come to define the Conservative Party's most successful and divisive modern figure: to her detractors a harsh, uncaring and dogmatic leader who made the country a more unequal, materialistic and brutal place; to her supporters, the saviour of a Britain which was becoming an ungovernable socialist state. The 1983 general election would prove a triumph. Kwasi Kwarteng here captures this shopkeeper's daughter's unique leadership qualities - from her pulpit style and New Testament imagery to her emphasis on personal moral responsibility - in some of the most adverse conditions facing any statesman in modern peacetime to offer a compelling study of arguably the most significant six months in British post-war history.</p>

Thatcher's Trial: Six Months That Defined a Leader

Europe

Thatcher's Trial

BLOOMSBURY

About the book : the ghosts of the british empire continue to haunt today'sinternational scene and many of the problems faced by the empirehave still not been resolved. In iraq, kashmir, burma, sudan,nigeria and hong kong, new difficulties, resulting from britishimperialism, have arisen and continue to baffle politicians anddiplomats. This powerful new book addresses the realities of thebritish empire from its inception to its demise, skeweringfantasies of its glory and cataloguing both the inadequacies of itsideals and the short-termism of its actions. About the author : kwasi kwarteng was born in london to ghanaian parents. Hehas a phd in history from cambridge university and was recentlyelected as the member of parliament for spelthorne in surrey. Ghosts of empire is his first book.

Bloomsbury Publishing India Private Limited

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Kwasi Kwarteng. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Kwasi Kwarteng

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Kwasi Kwarteng. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Ghosts of Empire

War and Gold: A Five-Hundred-Year History of Empires, Adventures and Debt

Thatcher's Trial: Six Months That Defined a Leader

Thatcher's Trial

Ghosts of Empire