Shadows of Empire: The Anglosphere in British PoliticsThe idea of an alliance between Britain and its old Commonwealth colonies has recently made a remarkable comeback in the context of Brexit. Based on belief in a special bond between the English-speaking peoples of the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, it has been dubbed the 'Anglosphere' by supporters and 'Empire 2.0' by critics. In this book, leading commentators Michael Kenny and Nick Pearce trace the historical origins of this idea back to the shadow cast by the British Empire in the late Victorian era. They show how leading British political figures, from Churchill to Thatcher, consistently reworked it and how it was revived by a group of right-wing politicians, historians and pamphleteers to support the case for Brexit. They argue that, while the contemporary idea of the Anglosphere as an alternative to European Union membership is seriously flawed, it nonetheless represents an enduring account of Britain’s role in the world that runs through the heart of political life over the last century. Shadows of Empire will be essential reading for everyone interested in British politics and post-Brexit foreign policy. |
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Contents
The Origins of the Anglosphere | |
After Empire The Rise of the EnglishSpeaking Peoples | |
A Parting of the Ways Britain and the Commonwealth in the PostWar | |
The Powellite Interlude Sovereignty Decline and the Return | |
The Anglosphere in the Late Twentieth Century Retreat | |
Common terms and phrases
alliance American Anglo Anglo-America Anglo-American Anglo-Saxon Anglo-world Anglophone Anglosphere Anglosphere idea argued arguments associated Australia Boris Johnson Brexit British Empire British politics campaign Canada Chamberlain Churchill Churchill's commitment Conservative Party countries crisis cultural Daniel Hannan debates economic election emerging English English-speaking Enoch Powell Europe European Union Eurosceptic Euroscepticism exports foreign policy free market free trade geo-political global Greater Britain growing heritage historians Ibid ideological immigration imperial federation important increasingly India institutions integration Iraq Ireland issue J. R. Seeley John join Labour Party late Victorian leadership Leo Amery liberal lineage London Margaret Thatcher military negotiations Nigel Farage notably Old Commonwealth outlook politicians position post-war Powell's prime minister race racial referendum relations relationship remained role Second World Seeley settler colonies social South Africa sovereignty speech Thatcher thinking tradition UK's membership United unity University Press vision Western Zealand
Bibliographic information
| Title | Shadows of Empire: The Anglosphere in British Politics |
| Authors | Michael Kenny, Nick Pearce |
| Publisher | John Wiley & Sons, 2018 |
| ISBN | 1509516646, 9781509516643 |
| Length | 224 pages |
| Subjects | › › Political Science / General Political Science / International Relations / General Political Science / World / European |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |