Bagchi, Amiya Kumar. Perilous Passage: Mankind and the Global Ascendancy of Capital. 2005. A spirited radical critique of the “rise of the West.”
Bayley, C. A. The Birth of the Modern World, 1780–1914. 2004. A broad survey that puts European imperialism and nationalism in a global context.
Conklin, Alice. A Mission to Civilize: The French Republican Ideal and West Africa, 1895–1930. 1997. An outstanding examination of French imperialism.
Conrad, Sebastian. Globalisation and the Nation in Imperial Germany. 2010. Places German nationalism and imperialism in the context of the wave of globalization that took place in the late nineteenth century.
Cook, Scott B. Colonial Encounters in the Age of High Imperialism. 1996. A stimulating overview with a very readable account of the explorer Stanley and central Africa.
Crews, Robert. For Prophet and Tsar: Islam and Empire in Russia and Central Asia. 2006. Considers neglected aspects of Russian imperialism.
Davis, Mike. Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World. 2002. A passionate condemnation of the links among imperialist policy, environmental catastrophe, and mass starvation in European colonies around 1900.
Goodlad, Graham. British Foreign and Imperial Policy, 1865–1919. 2000. Examines Britain’s leading role in European imperialism.
Hochschild, Adam. King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa, 1895–1930. 1997. A chilling account of Belgian imperialism in the Congo.
Maier, Charles S. Among Empires: American Ascendancy and Its Predecessors. 2006. Explores imperial power in history and how well America measures up.
Midgley, Clare, ed. Gender and Imperialism. 1998. Examines the complex questions related to European women and imperialism.
Pomeranz, Kenneth. The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern Economy. 2001. This influential book explores the rise of European global influence after 1800.
Walthall, Anne. Japan: A Cultural, Social, and Political History. 2006. A concise, up-to-date overview covering a broad range of developments in East Asia.
DOCUMENTARIES
Berlin 1885: The Scramble of Africa (Joël Calmettes, 2010). A re-enactment of and documentary about the Berlin Conference, where European powers divided up the African continent into colonies.
Congo: White King, Red Rubber, Black Death (Peter Bate, 2003). Covers King Leopold II’s horrific exploitation of the Congo.
Queen Victoria’s Empire (Paul Bryers, 2001). A PBS four-part series about Queen Victoria and her empire, which included one-fifth of the world’s population.
FEATURE FILMS AND TELEVISION
The Four Feathers (Shekhar Kapur, 2002). A British officer resigns his post just before his regiment goes to the Sudan to fight the “rebels.” Seen as a coward because of the resignation, the officer goes undercover to regain his honor.
Opium War (Jin Xie, 1997). Depicts the dramatic conflicts between the British and Chinese surrounding the opium trade in the nineteenth century.
Rhodes (BBC, 1996). An eight-part television drama about the British imperialist Cecil Rhodes, known for his success in the diamond industry and his passionate pursuit of British rule in southern Africa.
Zulu (Cy Endfield, 1964). A war film portraying British soldiers and Zulu warriors fighting at the Battle of Rorke’s Drift.
WEB SITES
BBC’s Slavery and the “Scramble for Africa.” Explores the role abolition played in British interests in the colonization of Africa in the nineteenth century. www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/abolition/scramble_for_africa_article_01.shtml
Commodore Perry and the Opening of Japan. The U.S. Navy Museum’s Web site presents an overview of Commodore Matthew Perry’s arrival in Japan, as well as several online activities about the subject. www.history.navy.mil/branches/teach/ends/opening.htm
Muhammad Ali Pasha in Egyptian History. An introduction to the period of Muhammad Ali in Egypt. www.egyptianagriculture.com/muhammad_ali.html