Patterns of Empire
The British and American Empires, 1688 to the Present

Shows how the policies, practices, forms and historical dynamics of the American empire repeat those of the British empire.

Julian Go (Author)

9781107011830, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 10 October 2011

302 pages, 11 b/w illus. 1 map 9 tables
24 x 16.1 x 2.1 cm, 0.56 kg

'Julian Go's book is, simply, in a different league from almost all previous work in the field. Combining close historical analysis with conceptual rigor, joining the skills and strengths of the historian with those of the social scientist, this is a project of striking originality.' Stephen Howe, University of Bristol

Patterns of Empire comprehensively examines the two most powerful empires in modern history: the United States and Britain. Challenging the popular theory that the American empire is unique, Patterns of Empire shows how the policies, practices, forms and historical dynamics of the American empire repeat those of the British, leading up to the present climate of economic decline, treacherous intervention in the Middle East and overextended imperial confidence. A critical exercise in revisionist history and comparative social science, this book also offers a challenging theory of empire that recognizes the agency of non-Western peoples, the impact of global fields and the limits of imperial power.

1. Imperial paths to power
2. Colonial rules
3. Hegemonies and empires
4. Imperial forms, global fields
5. Weary titans: declining powers, new imperialism
6. The dynamics of imperialism.

Subject Areas: 21st century history: from c 2000 - [HBLX], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], History of the Americas [HBJK]