Empire

How Britain Made the Modern World

By: Niall Ferguson

Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble, Niall Ferguson

Penguin presents the unabridged audiobook edition of Empire by Niall Ferguson, read by Jonathan Keeble.

Once vast swathes of the globe were coloured imperial red, and Britannia ruled not just the waves but the prairies of America, the plains of Asia, the jungles of Africa and the deserts of Arabia. Just how did a small, rainy island in the North Atlantic achieve all this? And why did the empire on which the sun literally never set finally decline and fall?

Niall Ferguson's acclaimed Empire brilliantly unfolds the imperial story in all its splendours and its miseries, showing how a gang of buccaneers and gold diggers planted the seed of the biggest empire in all history - and set the world on the road to modernity.

©2017 Niall Ferguson (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"The most brilliant British historian of his generation...Ferguson examines the roles of 'pirates, planters, missionaries, mandarins, bankers and bankrupts' in the creation of history's largest empire...he writes with splendid panache...and a seemingly effortless, debonair wit." (Andrew Roberts)

"Dazzling...wonderfully readable." ( New York Review of Books)

"A remarkably readable précis of the whole British imperial story - triumphs, deceits, decencies, kindnesses, cruelties and all." (Jan Morris)

Apologies for Empire

Overall Ferguson meanders where he could state his point and give evidence directly, which feels like padding to an otherwise straightforward premise. Aside from putting every abuse of British power in a positive light, there are lessons to be learned here.

The performance was read well enough but the editing leaves dead air between some sentences, leaving you to wonder if you’ve lost connexion with your headphones.

It’s biased, but it’ll open one’s mind a bit.

Great read

A wonderfully insightful look at the British empire. Understandable and enjoyable for the non-historian.

Absolutely brilliant.

Incredibly good book and narration is as good as it gets. I happened to read Douglas Murray’s War on the West right after and and decided to get this one on audible and listen to it this time and I’m glad I did. The narrator is perfect

Absolutely Wonderful!

I began this book with an interest and some prior knowledge of British Imperial history, but I was thoroughly amazed by this book. The way Ferguson explains the numerous facets of the Empire engaged me from the beginning. This is helped greatly by the voice acting. Using subtly different voices for different quotes isn't something usually found in a history book. Ferguson does a good job defending his view of the empire as a general force for good while not shying away from the tragedies and mistakes made as well. This is a must listen for sure.

Good but not what I expected.

Well done but not what I expected. kinda dry. I was expecting more along his book, civilization.

Great book

Thought provoking and engaging and opens your mind to the other side of the history. Each even in history has its good
And bad and this certainly enlightens as it entertains.

Illuminating and thrilling

This book should be quintessential study for anyone who wants to understand how the current world is the way it is. And the debt owed to the British people and their peculiar making of history.

Honest & Brave Examination of British Imperialism

A candid appraisal of the British Empire that grapples with the horrors of empire as well as examines the heritage of empire from which we still benefit, and to which we owe so much.

Enlightening

I am glad I finished this enlightening work. The middle drug out in details, but the body of work is worth the time.

No country was better at Imperialism than Britain.

The narrator does an excellent job of voicing some of the people throughout history, especially Sir Winston Churchill.

You may pick a day, a year or a century and rightly find the British were cruel bastards. If given a choice, in the end, your country was better off with British rule than any other country.

They redeemed themselves early in the 19th century when they campaigned to end slavery. They did not ask the world twice to stop human trafficking. The Royal Navy enforced this proclamation. This was gun boat diplomacy at it's finest.

The Empire came about, in response to the European need for markets and growth. Holland, Spain, France and England were vying for new colonies in Africa and Asia. Britain was the most successful because the Industrial Revolution started in Britain. The IR succeeded because the British had an abundance of human capital, a stable government, the rule of law and a sound financial system. The Empire grew and succeeded when entrepreneurs were free to risk capital abroad and keep their gains. When a country was shown to be stable and investments profitable, the crown was ushered in to provide a framework to strengthen the society and develop a stable government.

In the end, the Empire began to falter, like a successful player of Monopoly. They had more than they could maintain and had to cut their losses.