At its peak, the British Empire governed a quarter of the world's land area and population. How it shaped trajectories of economic development in the former colonies remains the subject of fierce debate.

Leigh Gardner and Tirthankar Roy offer a rich and textured economic history of the British Empire focused on the colonies themselves. While the economic history of the empire has been much debated, previous work has focused either on economic dynamics in Britain, or on specific colonies or regions. In this fresh global analysis, Gardner and Roy argue that the British Empire was characterised by more diversity than unity. How did this diversity emerge? How did it shape global inequalities and patterns of economic change in postcolonial times? And, finally, do we need to rethink our definitions of empire in light of this diversity? In addressing these questions, this book provides an incisive guide to the empire: its origins, how it was governed, how it ended, and the complicated legacies it left.

The British Empire demystifies one of the most contested subjects of our time.