British imperialism, 1688-2000 / P.J. Cain and A.G. Hopkins.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Foreword: The Continuing Debate on Empire -- 1. The Problem and the Context -- 2. Prospective: Aristocracy, Finance and Empire, 1688-1850 -- 3. 'Something Peculiar to England': The Service Sector, Wealth and Power, 1850-1914 -- 4. Gentlemanly Capitalism and Economic Policy: City, Government and the 'National Interest', 1850-1914 -- 5. 'The Great Emporium': Foreign Trade and Invisible Earnings, 1850-1914 -- 6. Two Nations? Foreign Investment and the Domestic Economy, 1850-1914 -- 7. Challenging Cosmopolitanism: The Tariff Problem and Imperial Unity, 1880-1914 -- 8. 'An Extension of the Old Society': Britain and the Colonies of Settlement, 1850-1914 -- 9. Calling the New World into Existence: South America, 1815-1914 -- 10. 'Meeting her Obligations to her English Creditors': India, 1858-1914 -- 11. 'The Imperious and Irresistible Necessity': Britain and the Partition of Africa, 1882-1902 -- 12. 'We Offer Ourselves as Supporters': The Ottoman Empire and Persia, 1838-1914 --

13. 'Maintaining the Credit-Worthiness of the Chinese Government': China, 1839-1911 -- 14. Britain, Germany and 'Imperialist' War, 1900-14 -- 15. Retrospect: 1688-1914 -- 16. The Imperialist Dynamic: From World War I to Decolonisation -- 17. 'The Power of Constant Renewal': Services, Finance and the Gentlemanly Elite, 1914-39 -- 18. Industry, the City and the Decline of the International Economy, 1914-39 -- 19. Upholding Gentlemanly Values: The American Challenge, 1914-31 -- 20. 'A Latter-Day Expression of Financial Imperialism': The Origins of the Sterling Area, 1931-39 -- 21. Maintaining Financial Discipline: The Dominions, 1914-39 -- 22. 'A New Era of Colonial Ambitions': South America, 1914-39 -- 23. 'Financial Stability and Good Government': India, 1914-47 -- 24. 'Playing the Game' in Tropical Africa, 1914-40 -- 25. 'The Only Great Undeveloped Market in the World': China, 1911-49 -- 26. The City, the Sterling Area and Decolonisation -- 27. Conclusion: 1688-2000 --

Afterword: Empires and Globalization.

"The milestone in the understanding of British history and imperialism, this important book radically reinterprets the course of modern economic development and the causes of overseas expansion during the past three centuries.

Employing their concept of gentlemanly capitalism, the authors draw imperial and domestic British history together to show how the shape of the nation and its economy depended on international and imperial ties, and how these ties were undone to produce the postcolonial world of today.".

"This second edition, issued for the first time in a single volume, has two new chapters; a Foreword assesses the development of the debate since the book's original publication; an Afterword discusses the imperial era in the context of the current controversy over globalization, and shows how the study of the age of empires remains relevant to understanding the postcolonial world."--BOOK JACKET.