Cassell History Of Warfare: Wars Of Empire

An account of the rise and fall of the great 19th century empires, written by one of the world's experts on imperialism.

The 19th century signalled the high renaissance of Western imperialism. As more and more territory fell under colonial rule, European empires began to advance seemingly unchecked across the world. But the idea that indigenous forces were easily outclassed by European armies is deceptive. Native militias often defeated their European counterparts, and sometimes quite spectacularly.

This book is about more than mere clashes of arms. It is about clashes between civilisations, wars fought between peoples of radically different mentalities, different levels of political organisation, and of contrasting technological capabilities. It chronicles the period of the great African land rush, the Russian advance over Central Asia, American imperialism and the expansion of the British Empire.