A great deal of the world's history is the history of empires Indeed it could be said that all history is colonial history if one takes a broad enough definition & goes far enough back & although the great historic imperial systems the l&-based Russian one as well as the seaborne empires of western European powers have collapsed during the past half century their legacies shape almost every aspect of life on a global scale Meanwhile there is fierce argument & much speculation about what has replaced the old territorial empires in world politics Do the United States & its allies transnational companies financial & media institutions or more broadly the forces of 'globalization' constitute a new imperial system? Stephen Howe interprets the meaning of the idea of 'empire' through the ages disentangling the multiple uses & abuses of the labels 'empire' 'colonialism' etc & examines the aftermath of imperialism on the contemporary world ABOUT THE SERIES The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly Our expert authors combine facts analysis perspective new ideas & enthusiasm to make interesting & challenging topics highly readable