Edmund Burke and the British Empire in the West Indies - Wealth, Power, and Slavery (Hardcover)

Edmund Burke was both a political thinker of the utmost importance and an active participant in the day-to-day business of politics. It is the latter role that is the concern of this book, showing Burke engaging with issues concerning the West Indies, which featured so largely in British concerns in the later eighteenth century. Initially, Burke saw the islands as a means by which his close connections might make their fortunes, later he was concerned with them as a great asset to be managed in the national interest, and, finally, he became a participant in debates about the slave trade. This volume adds a new dimension to assessments of Burke's views on empire, hitherto largely confined to Ireland, India, and America, and explores the complexities of his response to slavery. The system outraged his abundantly attested concern for the suffering caused by abuses of British power overseas, but one which he also recognised to be fundamental for sustaining the wealth generated by the West Indies, which he deemed essential to Britain's national power. He therefore sought compromises in the gradual reform of the system rather than immediate abolition of the trade or emancipation of the slaves.

General

Imprint:	Oxford UniversityPress
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	July 2019
Authors:	P.J. Marshall (Professor Emeritus)
Dimensions:	241 x 162 x 21mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	258
ISBN-13:	978-0-19-884120-3
Categories:	Books > Humanities > History > World history > 1750 to 1900 Books > Humanities > History > British & Irish history > General Books > Humanities > History > American history > General Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political ideologies > Imperialism Books > History > American history > General Books > History > British & Irish history > General Books > History > World history > 1750 to 1900
LSN:	0-19-884120-5
Barcode:	9780198841203

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