The Empire and its Critics, 1899-1939 : Classics of Imperialism

The eight books reprinted in this set played an influential role in defining attitudes and expectations about imperialism on the British Left in the twentieth century and are vital in understanding the transition from the liberal anti-imperialism of the nineteenth century to the more overtly socialist critiques of the twentieth.

In particular, they are key documents in charting the emergence of British theories of financial imperialism, which was inspired initially by the South African crisis and the Boer war of 1899-1902 and subsequently generalized and refined in the face of world war and the rise of facism.

They were also important in disseminating new ideas about the pace and nature of colonial economic development which began to influence British imperial practice between the wars.

The authors, who include Leonard Woolf and Ramsey MacDonald, were all men of widespread influence whether as journalists, academics, civil servants or even active politicians: three became members of Parliament, with Ramsey MacDonald becoming the first Labour Prime Minister in 1924. They were also vivid and compelling writers whose ideas still have a considerable interest for social scientists and historians today.