{"title":"Ashley Jackson","description":"Ashley Jackson is Professor of Imperial and Military History at King's College, London. His books include Mad Dogs and Englishmen: a Grand Tour of the British Empire at its Height, The British Empire and the Second World War,  and Churchill.","products":[{"product_id":"the-british-empire-a-very-short-introduction-paperback","title":"The British Empire: A Very Short Introduction - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom the eighteenth century until the 1950s, the British Empire was the largest and most far-flung political entity in the world, holding sway at one time over one fifth of the world's population. The territories forming this colossus ranged from tiny islands to vast segments of the world's major continental land masses, and included Australia, South Africa, India, and Canada. This vast empire left its mark on the world in a multitude of ways, many of them permanent. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this Very Short Introduction, Ashley Jackson introduces and defines the British Empire, shedding light on a series of key questions, reviewing how it evolved into such a force, and looking at the legacy it left behind. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAbout the Series: \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society. Eventually, the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and abundant reference library. Whatever the area of study that one deems important or appealing, whatever the topic that fascinates the general reader, the Very Short Introductions series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51365697192159,"sku":"9780199605415","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/4ov22hszpN9780199605415.webp?v=1789070108"},{"product_id":"superpower-britain-the-1945-vision-and-why-it-failed-hardcover","title":"Superpower Britain: The 1945 Vision and Why It Failed - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eHistory tells us that the Second World War broke Britain as a great power, diminishing its military strength, ruining its economy, and precipitating a striking wave of decolonization. Nationalists and new superpowers dominated the post-war landscape, and the country was on the slide. But no one knew this in 1945 - the leading politicians, the top civil servants, and the most knowledgeable experts, all expected the British Empire to remain intact long into the future. There was no hint of imminent collapse, and the governing elite and key opinion-shapers weren't considering decline and decolonization, evincing instead a new zeal for imperial renovation and a belief that an empire which had just survived another global conflict was vital for the peace and security of all humankind. They were even looking to expansion, securing the spoils of victory as they had done at the end of the First World War. Fully expecting to continue leading a great empire as well as a bloc of European nations recovering from war, the British had their own vision of the new world order. Furthermore, and astonishingly given what actually happened, British leaders were convinced that parity could be gained with the Americans and the Soviets: Britain was to remain a superpower in its own right. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhat actually happened differed radically from these expectations. The question is, how do we account for the difference between what it was thought would happen and the actual course of events? \u003cem\u003eSuperpower Britain\u003c\/em\u003e is the first book to focus in depth on this fascinating counterpoint and to fully integrate the history of Britain and the effects of the Second World War with the history of the British Empire. It explains what the British planned to do in the post-war world, why they thought their plans for regeneration and the future world order were viable, and what the war had actually done to British world power and its imperial foundations.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51368436334815,"sku":"9780192863706","price":80.35,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/9GxmTssJKh9780192863706.webp?v=1789128416"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/ashley-jackson.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}