At Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in June 1897, pride in the British Empire seemed at its zenith, but in a fresh look at the commemorative poems of Rudyard Kipling, Denis Judd finds the poet pointing to cracks in the imperial façade.
Sarah Foster offers a fascinating account of how Irish identity, with its sectarian implications, asserted itself in the manufacture and purchase of luxury goods.
Richard Cavendish remembers the events of May 15th, 1847.
Paul Doolan looks at the continuing controversy over Dutch 'police operations' post-1945 in Indonesia.
James Walvin on how tea, sugar and tobacco hooked Britons into a fondness for the fruits of imperial expansion.
Frank McDonough looks at recent thinking on the origins of the war of 1899-1902
Bernard Porter argues that the 'End of Empire' unravelled British domestic politics as well as her international outlook.
Robert Pearce looks at a turning point in the history of mentalities, when the way Britons perceived themselves and others changed forever.
Jeremy Black passes judgement on British foreign policy 1688-1815.
John Cummins uses the 400th anniversary of Sir Francis Drake's death to reassess the man, his life and the legends surrounding him.
