In this reassessment of British imperialism, Willie Thompson examines the underlying social, economic and political forces that facilitated expansion during the key period of 1870-1914. Thompson emphasizes that the British Empire was first and foremost established by predatory methods to fulfill the financial goals of imperial power without regard to the welfare of indigenous people.

Thompson examines how technology, including the rapid advances in
communications and military technique, enabled a deeper penetration of
existing colonies and the acquisition of new colonies in Africa and Asia.
Alongside this, he evaluates Britain's reaction to changes in the
international political arena, including the imperial expansion of other
European nations. New international relationships established by the
British Empire - such as those with the semi-autonomous settlement
colonies, such as Australia, and the wholly subordinated African
territories, as well as Britain's quasi-colonial arrangements with China
and the Ottoman Empire - are all considered in depth. Finally, he examines the impact of this new imperial ideology on British society.