Victorian Visions Of Global Order

This wide-ranging and original 2007 study provides an insight into the climate of political thought during the lifespan of what was, at this time, the most powerful empire in history. A distinguished group of contributors explores the way in which thinkers in Britain theorised influential views about empire and international relations, exploring topics such as the evolution of international law; the ways in which the world was notionally divided into the 'civilised' and the 'barbarian'; the role of India in shaping visions of civil society; grandiose ideas about a global imperial state; the development of an array of radical critiques of empire; the varieties of liberal imperialism; and the rise and fall of free trade. Together, the chapters form an analysis of political thought in this context; both of the famous (Bentham, Mill, Marx, and Hobson) and of those who, whilst influential at the time, are all but forgotten today. Review: '... excellent ... the standard ... is very high.... Ultimately the richness and success of any collection of this kind can be measured by the quality of the actual contributions and by the number of areas that emerge for further research and analysis. On both measures this volume scores highly and should be widely read.' Andrew Hurrell, Perspectives on Politics '... outstanding collection ... invaluable to students and scholars... Such an astute account of the Victorian visions of global order will be invaluable to students and scholars of the theory and history of international relations.' Emilian R. Kavalski, Canadian Journal of History