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Colonialism
by Nigel Biggar • 2023
The British Empire spent a century and 1.8% of its income on abolition. Critics skip that.
3.97
786
Colonialism Summary
Colonialism 90%
The British Empire spent a century and 1.8% of its income on abolition. Critics skip that.
by Nigel Biggar 2023
3.97
786 ratings
Empire
by Niall Ferguson • 2003
Piracy, sugar, and debt built the largest empire ever. The collapse outpaced the climb.
3.93
10k+
Empire Summary
Empire 90%
Piracy, sugar, and debt built the largest empire ever. The collapse outpaced the climb.
by Niall Ferguson 2003
3.93
10k+ ratings
American Exceptionalism and American Innocence
by Roberto Sirvent • 2019
American history is the original fake news: a cover story for genocide, slavery, and endless war.
4.08
287
American Exceptionalism and American Innocence Summary
American Exceptionalism and American Innocence 90%
American history is the original fake news: a cover story for genocide, slavery, and endless war.
by Roberto Sirvent 2019
4.08
287 ratings
The New Rulers of the World
by John Pilger • 2002
The global economy was built on mass graves. A reporter shows you who filled them.
4.14
1k+
The New Rulers of the World Summary
The New Rulers of the World 89%
The global economy was built on mass graves. A reporter shows you who filled them.
by John Pilger 2002
4.14
1k+ ratings
Race and Manifest Destiny
by Reginald Horsman • 1981
Manifest Destiny had a hidden engine: a pseudo-science that ranked races and justified conquest.
3.84
150
Race and Manifest Destiny Summary
Race and Manifest Destiny 89%
Manifest Destiny had a hidden engine: a pseudo-science that ranked races and justified conquest.
by Reginald Horsman 1981
3.84
150 ratings
Jefferson's Empire
by Peter S. Onuf • 2000
An empire built on consent that required conquest: the paradox at the core of American identity.
3.56
57
Jefferson's Empire Summary
Jefferson's Empire 89%
An empire built on consent that required conquest: the paradox at the core of American identity.
by Peter S. Onuf 2000
3.56
57 ratings
Providence and the Invention of the United States, 1607–1876
by Nicholas Guyatt • 2007
God's plan for America was a British idea that justified slavery and empire.
3.93
14
Providence and the Invention of the United States, 1607–1876 Summary
Providence and the Invention of the United States, 1607–1876 89%
God's plan for America was a British idea that justified slavery and empire.
by Nicholas Guyatt 2007
3.93
14 ratings
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
by Winston S. Churchill • 1898
It took a frontier war for a young Churchill to understand the brutal logic of empire.
3.99
358
The Story of the Malakand Field Force Summary
The Story of the Malakand Field Force 89%
It took a frontier war for a young Churchill to understand the brutal logic of empire.
by Winston S. Churchill 1898
3.99
358 ratings
The Fate of Empires and Search for Survival
by John Bagot Glubb • 1978
Ten generations: energy, conquest, affluence, decay. The West is running out of time.
4.21
751
The Fate of Empires and Search for Survival Summary
The Fate of Empires and Search for Survival 89%
Ten generations: energy, conquest, affluence, decay. The West is running out of time.
by John Bagot Glubb 1978
4.21
751 ratings
The Case for Colonialism
by Bruce Gilley • 2023
Start new colonies from scratch. The controversial solution to a century of post-colonial disaster.
4.32
191
The Case for Colonialism Summary
The Case for Colonialism 89%
Start new colonies from scratch. The controversial solution to a century of post-colonial disaster.
by Bruce Gilley 2023
4.32
191 ratings
The Two Faces of American Freedom
by Aziz Rana • 2010
American freedom depends on subjugation: a hidden bargain that shaped the republic from the start.
4.03
90
The Two Faces of American Freedom Summary
The Two Faces of American Freedom 89%
American freedom depends on subjugation: a hidden bargain that shaped the republic from the start.
by Aziz Rana 2010
4.03
90 ratings
Imperialism
by Vladimir Lenin • 1917
Capitalism outgrew free competition, building monopolies that needed colonies to survive.
4.27
11k+
Imperialism Summary
Imperialism 89%
Capitalism outgrew free competition, building monopolies that needed colonies to survive.
by Vladimir Lenin 1917
4.27
11k+ ratings
Power Systems
by Noam Chomsky • 2012
The American empire playbook: erase the natives, crush foreign democracy, silence the home front.
4.12
3k+
Power Systems Summary
Power Systems 88%
The American empire playbook: erase the natives, crush foreign democracy, silence the home front.
by Noam Chomsky 2012
4.12
3k+ ratings
Orientalism
by Edward W. Said • 1978
Western knowledge of the East was never innocent: it invented the Orient to justify imperial rule.
4.14
30k+
Orientalism Summary
Orientalism 88%
Western knowledge of the East was never innocent: it invented the Orient to justify imperial rule.
by Edward W. Said 1978
4.14
30k+ ratings
History of Modern India
by Bipan Chandra • 2009
From Mughal collapse to British conquest: how a trading company remade a subcontinent.
4.08
2k+
History of Modern India Summary
History of Modern India 88%
From Mughal collapse to British conquest: how a trading company remade a subcontinent.
by Bipan Chandra 2009
4.08
2k+ ratings
The Invention of Tradition
by Eric J. Hobsbawm • 1983
Most timeless rituals were built recently, assembled when rapid change broke old social bonds.
3.95
2k+
The Invention of Tradition Summary
The Invention of Tradition 88%
Most timeless rituals were built recently, assembled when rapid change broke old social bonds.
by Eric J. Hobsbawm 1983
3.95
2k+ ratings
Day of Empire
by Amy Chua • 2007
Dominating the world has always required one thing: taking in the talent everyone else rejects.
3.77
999
Day of Empire Summary
Day of Empire 88%
Dominating the world has always required one thing: taking in the talent everyone else rejects.
by Amy Chua 2007
3.77
999 ratings
Essential Works of Lenin
by Vladimir Lenin • 1964
Monopoly, finance capital, and empire: Lenin's thesis on capitalism's inevitable last chapter.
4.11
757
Essential Works of Lenin Summary
Essential Works of Lenin 88%
Monopoly, finance capital, and empire: Lenin's thesis on capitalism's inevitable last chapter.
by Vladimir Lenin 1964
4.11
757 ratings
Glimpses of World History
by Jawaharlal Nehru • 1934
From a British prison cell, a jailed father teaches his daughter all of world history.
4.32
2k+
Glimpses of World History Summary
Glimpses of World History 88%
From a British prison cell, a jailed father teaches his daughter all of world history.
by Jawaharlal Nehru 1934
4.32
2k+ ratings
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
by Omar El Akkad • 2025
The liberal West is counterfeit: rules bend for power, and empathy is a weapon.
4.57
67k+
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This Summary
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This 88%
The liberal West is counterfeit: rules bend for power, and empathy is a weapon.
by Omar El Akkad 2025
4.57
67k+ ratings
The English
by Jeremy Paxman • 1998
An island people built history's largest empire, then had to reinvent themselves once it crumbled.
3.55
3k+
The English Summary
The English 88%
An island people built history's largest empire, then had to reinvent themselves once it crumbled.
by Jeremy Paxman 1998
3.55
3k+ ratings
Colossus
by Niall Ferguson • 2004
America has always been an empire. Refusing to admit it is the root of its failures.
3.58
2k+
Colossus Summary
Colossus 88%
America has always been an empire. Refusing to admit it is the root of its failures.
by Niall Ferguson 2004
3.58
2k+ ratings
India that is Bharat
by J. Sai Deepak • 2021
Independence did not end colonialism. It just moved inside the constitution.
4.42
2k+
India that is Bharat Summary
India that is Bharat 88%
Independence did not end colonialism. It just moved inside the constitution.
by J. Sai Deepak 2021
4.42
2k+ ratings
The Age of Empire, 1875–1914
by Eric J. Hobsbawm • 1987
How the world's first globalization, built on empire and mass politics, made a world war inevitable.
4.27
5k+
The Age of Empire, 1875–1914 Summary
The Age of Empire, 1875–1914 88%
How the world's first globalization, built on empire and mass politics, made a world war inevitable.
by Eric J. Hobsbawm 1987
4.27
5k+ ratings
The Loom of Time
by Robert D. Kaplan • 2023
The Middle East was shaped for empire, not democracy. The West still refuses to believe it.
4.27
553
The Loom of Time Summary
The Loom of Time 88%
The Middle East was shaped for empire, not democracy. The West still refuses to believe it.
by Robert D. Kaplan 2023
4.27
553 ratings
Power, Politics and Culture
by Edward W. Said • 2001
The scholar who revealed how Western learning became a tool of empire, in his own words.
4.26
613
Power, Politics and Culture Summary
Power, Politics and Culture 88%
The scholar who revealed how Western learning became a tool of empire, in his own words.
by Edward W. Said 2001
4.26
613 ratings
Imagined Communities
by Benedict Anderson • 1983
Your nation is not ancient. Print markets, colonial maps, and selective forgetting built it.
4.11
17k+
Imagined Communities Summary
Imagined Communities 88%
Your nation is not ancient. Print markets, colonial maps, and selective forgetting built it.
by Benedict Anderson 1983
4.11
17k+ ratings
Edmund Burke
by Russell Kirk • 2014
Prophet of the Terror, defender of American rights. The founder of modern conservatism.
4.03
306
Edmund Burke Summary
Edmund Burke 88%
Prophet of the Terror, defender of American rights. The founder of modern conservatism.
by Russell Kirk 2014
4.03
306 ratings
The Heart of the Declaration
by Steve Pincus • 2016
The Declaration was not a small-government manifesto but a blueprint for a powerful, activist state.
3.64
36
The Heart of the Declaration Summary
The Heart of the Declaration 88%
The Declaration was not a small-government manifesto but a blueprint for a powerful, activist state.
by Steve Pincus 2016
3.64
36 ratings
Uncommon Wealth
by Kojo Koram • 2022
Offshore finance and debt traps: empire's playbook, tested abroad, now returned to reshape Britain.
4.29
508
Uncommon Wealth Summary
Uncommon Wealth 88%
Offshore finance and debt traps: empire's playbook, tested abroad, now returned to reshape Britain.
by Kojo Koram 2022
4.29
508 ratings
Decline and Fall
by John Michael Greer • 2014
Empires are wealth pumps. America's runs on oil, nearly dry. The collapse cycle is inevitable.
4.29
156
Decline and Fall Summary
Decline and Fall 88%
Empires are wealth pumps. America's runs on oil, nearly dry. The collapse cycle is inevitable.
by John Michael Greer 2014
4.29
156 ratings
Nemesis
by Chalmers Johnson • 2007
Empire and democracy cannot coexist. America chose empire; the bill is coming due.
4.07
968
Nemesis Summary
Nemesis 88%
Empire and democracy cannot coexist. America chose empire; the bill is coming due.
by Chalmers Johnson 2007
4.07
968 ratings
Blowback
by Chalmers Johnson • 2000
Covert empire: why policies hidden from the American public keep producing violent retaliation.
4.06
3k+
Blowback Summary
Blowback 88%
Covert empire: why policies hidden from the American public keep producing violent retaliation.
by Chalmers Johnson 2000
4.06
3k+ ratings
The Hell of Good Intentions
by Stephen M. Walt • 2018
After the Cold War, America tried to lead the world. It overreached, failed, and learned nothing.
4.01
735
The Hell of Good Intentions Summary
The Hell of Good Intentions 88%
After the Cold War, America tried to lead the world. It overreached, failed, and learned nothing.
by Stephen M. Walt 2018
4.01
735 ratings
The Great Delusion
by John J. Mearsheimer • 2018
Liberal dreams of peace ignore two immovable forces: the nation and the anarchy between states.
4.10
1k+
The Great Delusion Summary
The Great Delusion 88%
Liberal dreams of peace ignore two immovable forces: the nation and the anarchy between states.
by John J. Mearsheimer 2018
4.10
1k+ ratings
Inglorious Empire
by Shashi Tharoor • 2016
India's economy shrank from 23% of the world to 3% under British rule.
4.17
13k+
Inglorious Empire Summary
Inglorious Empire 88%
India's economy shrank from 23% of the world to 3% under British rule.
by Shashi Tharoor 2016
4.17
13k+ ratings
Why Empires Fall
by Peter Heather and John Rapley • 1983
Barbarians didn't kill Rome; economic shifts on its frontiers did. The West is next.
3.60
962
Why Empires Fall Summary
Why Empires Fall 88%
Barbarians didn't kill Rome; economic shifts on its frontiers did. The West is next.
by Peter Heather and John Rapley 1983
3.60
962 ratings
The Return of the Russian Leviathan
by Sergei Medvedev • 2017
Governance traded for spectacle: how resentment and distorted history built Putin's Russia.
4.06
337
The Return of the Russian Leviathan Summary
The Return of the Russian Leviathan 88%
Governance traded for spectacle: how resentment and distorted history built Putin's Russia.
by Sergei Medvedev 2017
4.06
337 ratings
Choice Theory
by William Glasser • 1999
How the frontier let America flee racism and inequality, until the wall shut the last exit.
4.01
4k+
Choice Theory Summary
Choice Theory 88%
How the frontier let America flee racism and inequality, until the wall shut the last exit.
by William Glasser 1999
4.01
4k+ ratings
Imaginary Homelands
by Salman Rushdie • 1991
After empire, the migrant's double vision and a stolen tongue remake what home and freedom mean.
3.99
2k+
Imaginary Homelands Summary
Imaginary Homelands 88%
After empire, the migrant's double vision and a stolen tongue remake what home and freedom mean.
by Salman Rushdie 1991
3.99
2k+ ratings
How Fascism Works
by Jason F. Stanley • 2018
A philosopher isolates ten political tactics that turn democratic citizens into hostile tribes.
4.25
17k+
How Fascism Works Summary
How Fascism Works 88%
A philosopher isolates ten political tactics that turn democratic citizens into hostile tribes.
by Jason F. Stanley 2018
4.25
17k+ ratings
Who Rules the World?
by Noam Chomsky • 2014
A superpower that tortures, invades, and sabotages democracy while the world calls it humanitarian.
4.05
13k+
Who Rules the World? Summary
Who Rules the World? 88%
A superpower that tortures, invades, and sabotages democracy while the world calls it humanitarian.
by Noam Chomsky 2014
4.05
13k+ ratings
A Peace to End All Peace
by David Fromkin • 1989
The modern Middle East was drawn in European offices; a century of instability is the result.
4.22
10k+
A Peace to End All Peace Summary
A Peace to End All Peace 88%
The modern Middle East was drawn in European offices; a century of instability is the result.
by David Fromkin 1989
4.22
10k+ ratings
A New Foreign Policy
by Jeffrey D. Sachs • 2018
The world became multipolar. America didn't notice. Here is the cost and the way out.
3.88
337
A New Foreign Policy Summary
A New Foreign Policy 88%
The world became multipolar. America didn't notice. Here is the cost and the way out.
by Jeffrey D. Sachs 2018
3.88
337 ratings
Arguably
by Christopher Hitchens • 2011
Tyranny, religion, empire, sentimentality: what remains after clarity and history have their say.
4.20
10k+
Arguably Summary
Arguably 87%
Tyranny, religion, empire, sentimentality: what remains after clarity and history have their say.
by Christopher Hitchens 2011
4.20
10k+ ratings
Heroic Failure
by Fintan O'Toole • 2018
Brexit wasn't about economics. It was a culture of glorified defeat and shared self-harm.
4.11
2k+
Heroic Failure Summary
Heroic Failure 87%
Brexit wasn't about economics. It was a culture of glorified defeat and shared self-harm.
by Fintan O'Toole 2018
4.11
2k+ ratings
Overthrow
by Stephen Kinzer • 2006
America has toppled 14 governments since 1893; the reasons it gave were almost never real.
4.18
5k+
Overthrow Summary
Overthrow 87%
America has toppled 14 governments since 1893; the reasons it gave were almost never real.
by Stephen Kinzer 2006
4.18
5k+ ratings
The Management of Savagery
by Max Blumenthal • 2019
Al Qaeda, ISIS, and Trump: three products of the same American national security machine.
4.29
807
The Management of Savagery Summary
The Management of Savagery 87%
Al Qaeda, ISIS, and Trump: three products of the same American national security machine.
by Max Blumenthal 2019
4.29
807 ratings
The Wretched of the Earth
by Frantz Fanon • 1961
Colonialism can only be overthrown by violence that destroys oppressor and oppressed self at once.
4.35
33k+
The Wretched of the Earth Summary
The Wretched of the Earth 87%
Colonialism can only be overthrown by violence that destroys oppressor and oppressed self at once.
by Frantz Fanon 1961
4.35
33k+ ratings
Red Skin, White Masks
by Glen Sean Coulthard • 2014
State recognition is a colonial trap: real Indigenous freedom demands turning away from it entirely.
4.46
941
Red Skin, White Masks Summary
Red Skin, White Masks 87%
State recognition is a colonial trap: real Indigenous freedom demands turning away from it entirely.
by Glen Sean Coulthard 2014
4.46
941 ratings
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