History and Culture of the English-Speaking World

Introduction

  • Class structure.
  • Beyond Britain: Focus on the history and culture of the English-speaking world outside of Britain.
  • The Americas and the Thirteen Colonies.

Class Structure

  • The Endpoint: Discussing the state of the British Empire around 1920.
  • The Happenstance of Empire: Exploring how Britain rose to become an empire.
  • Key Phases: Outlining the various stages of the British Empire.
    • The First British Empire (1583–1783).
      • The English Overseas Possessions (1583–1707).
      • Atlantic Phase (1707–1783).
    • The Second British Empire (1783–1918).
      • Pacific Phase: The Scramble for Asia (1783–1815).
      • The Imperial Century: The Scramble for Africa (1815–1918).
    • The Dissolution of the Empire (1918–1997).
      • Dominions into Commonwealth (1918–1945).
      • Decolonisation (1945–1997).
    • What Remains (1997–now).

The British Empire: The Endpoint

  • By 1920, the British Empire was the largest in world history.
    • Comprising 415 million people.
    • Covering 24% of the total land area.
    • An empire on which “the sun never sets.”
  • Vast legacy across the world.
    • Linguistic, legal, cultural dominance of English.
  • The empire accreted slowly from the late 15th century to about 1920, expanding from England and Wales to cover 6 continents.
  • The American Empire has, in effect, taken over from the British Empire.
    • Referenced Daniel Immerwahr's, How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States.
  • The history is complex, spanning 3.5 centuries, 6 continents, and 2 empires.
  • Terms like "Empire," "imperialism," and the idea of a solid