Try free for 30 days

A 30-day trial plus your first audiobook free.
1 credit/month after trial—to buy any title you like, yours to keep.
Listen all you want to a selection of thousands of Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
The Rise and Fall of the British Empire cover art

The Rise and Fall of the British Empire

By: Patrick N. Allitt, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Patrick N. Allitt
Free with 30-day trial

$16.45/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $49.99

Buy Now for $49.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

What were the forces that thrust the British Empire to its extraordinary position of greatness and then just as powerfully drove it into decline? And why is nearly every nation on earth, in one way or another, the consequence of the British Empire?

In these 36 lectures, Professor Allitt leads you through four centuries of British power, innovation, influence, and, ultimately, diminishment - four profound centuries that literally remade the world and bequeathed the complex global legacy that continues to shape your everyday life. This is a remarkable lecture series; one that will give you fresh insights into world history in a wide range of areas - political, economic, technological, social, and more. And it will also give you a comprehensive overview you won't find offered anywhere else - a context into which you can integrate new knowledge about this country, as well as understand the background of current events in so many other countries that were once part of Britain's empire, from Ireland to China, and in Africa and the Caribbean. Indeed, it seems fair to say that one cannot truly understand the most important aspects of world history without a firm grasp of the history of the British Empire. In giving you that grasp, these lectures draw on a vast range of critical events, riveting personalities, revealing anecdotes, and eloquent quotations.

Compelling, comprehensive, and astonishing in the force of its narrative power, each lecture will give you a refreshing new understanding of what made the British Empire both great in its achievements and vulnerable to its eventual downfall.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2009 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2009 The Great Courses

What listeners say about The Rise and Fall of the British Empire

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    56
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    48
  • 4 Stars
    11
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    50
  • 4 Stars
    11
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

brilliant

very well presented. easy listening but at the same time very thought provoking. thoroughly recommended for anyone wanting to understand how the English speaking world came about.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Ray
  • 02-09-2023

Great; informative and balanced

Wonderful content and balanced views., one of the best historical audiobooks for sure. Highly recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

An Excellent Overview

An excellent overview of one of the most influential, both good and bad, empires in history.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Relevance and Neutrality

This series of lectures if a fascinating, neutral look into the pros and cons of the British empire which are relevant even to this day.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Everything you already knew and nothing you didn't

It was just one big overview that seemed to assume you had no knowledge of recent history at all and lived in a bubble. Way more detail was necessary and a lot - particularly the two lectures on literature - was unnecessary

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • G
  • 22-12-2017

Good, fair, interesting

A very interesting series of lectures covering the history of the British Empire in an honest, balanced fashion. It's very easy to look back with modern eyes and denounce what you think the empire was but these lectures worked hard to avoid that. A thorough, in-depth look at the empire's creation, expansion and eventual decline.

My two complaints are this: the lectures are from 2007 and are thus a little out of date, but this is only relevent when briefly discussing modern day ramifications of the empire, such as the rise of militant Islam in the West and Britain's relationship with the EU.
Secondly, the lecturer, though very informed of his topic and perfectly clear to understand, does occasionally flub a line and takes short breaks to collect his thoughts. These won't affect your learning at all, but I noticed them.

I would absolutely recommend these lectures. They're more important to understanding the world of today than many might expect.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.