The Cambridge Illustrated History of the British Empire is a part of a series which  includes volumes on the history of France, Germany and the Islamic World. The editor, P. J. Marshall, fellow of the British Academy and author of numerous works regarding the modern history of India, co-ordinated the effort of a group of contributors who included historians from the former colonies of England. The purpose of the volume is not to point out the impact of the British empire on the colonies, but to narrate the history of the interaction between the two factors: the metropolis and the extra-European colonies. The traditions and the institutions of the natives are taken into account, but this seems to serve mainly as an explanation for the different historical destiny of the former colonies, divided now into prosperous countries (Canada, Australia) and third world states from Africa and Asia. Even not directly stated, the conclusion is obvious: England cannot be hold responsible for the failure of the latter. The legacy of the British empire is a delicate and highly controversial problem and Marshall’s attempt to find a compromise solution is not altogether successful. Moreover, in spite of their effort of approaching the problem with criticism and a certain degree of objectivity, the contributors seem unable to abandon defending the part played by the empire in the Modern Age. A good example for this perspective is the assertion that, compared with the other European colonial powers, the British empire has been a far better alternative for the people of Asia and Africa. On the other hand, the issue of the impact of colonial experience on the metropolis is also very debated, the fundamental question being that of the profits of this enterprise. Two other options regard the life-span and the extent of empire. Marshall considers that the beginning of empire can be best placed in 1783, when England officially recognised the existence of the United States and the end lays in the last round of the de-colonisation process, in 1960’. He rejects the hypothesis of the "informal empire" - who claimed that the territories in which the influence of the metropolis was overwhelming should be considered as a part of the British empire, even though, officially, they weren’t - arguing that political influence cannot replace effective rule.
 The book is divided in three parts - Part one, written by Marshall himself deals with the chronological history of the British empire, Part two with the society from metropolis and colonies and Part three presents the impact of the colonial venture on the metropolis, as well as the point of view of historians from the former Dominions about the imperial experience in Australia (K. S. Inglis), Africa (Toyn Falola) and India (Tapan Raychanhuri).
 Part one is an accurate narration of the evolution of empire, with an emphasis on explanation and description of the general process of colonisation - which does not exclude the approach of certain particular features - instead of on details or local developments. Marshall distinguishes between a first phase of evolution, that of an expanding empire, a second one which witnessed the first major challenges and threats and a last phase, the phase of decline. The expansion which characterised the years 1783 to 1870 was not only a process of conquest and settlement and among the factors which contributed to the success of this enterprise Marshall gives particular importance to trade, a traditional feature of the British expansion, and Christian propaganda. Thus, the first phase was a time of private initiative and governmental non-interventionism. The Colonial Office had been founded in 1812, but the extent of Parliamentary involvement was still small. Nevertheless, the consolidation of the British empire continued throughout the nineteenth century, because of economic, military and moral imperatives. Marshall considers that the financial side of the problem was essential, as the military supremacy of Britain was  unchallenged from Waterloo to the end of the nineteenth century. But he also insists on a more subtle problem, which goes beyond the field of military and commercial issues: the impact that the British empire had on the mentality of the English people. The maintaining of empire was first of all a moral issue, a problem of international prestige, because by losing their empire the British would yield the means of exporting - one may as well say "imposing" - their system of values, their civilisation. In support of this remarkable theory Marshall invokes an interesting definition of empire, considered to be a vehicle for the export of the values and culture of the British people. The end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century brought the competition of the European powers in the struggle for colonies; but the British empire would successfully pass the test of war, as Marshall calls the First World War. The contribution of empire, even though smaller than that of England herself, was impressive, both in manpower and supplies. Only the Second World War, which, mainly due to his defensive character, affected more dramatically the Dominions, forecast the end of the British empire. After the war, Britain’s military interest outside Europe decreased dramatically, as the British forces were committed to the protection of NATO’ s defensive system on the continent - the immediate consequence was the subordination within NATO structures to United States. Unable to defend her colonies and confronted with a wave of nationalistic movements England finally abandoned the imperial idea.
 Even though coherent and impartial, the narration contains some provocative and controversial interpretations. Marshall considers the loss of the thirteen colonies from North America as an event which did not, altogether,  seriously affected Britain. This statement is not supported by facts, but rather by suppositions. Even though one may argue that in the long run the loss of the thirteen colonies did England more benefit than harm, by allowing a fast and profitable expansion in new directions, the fact remains that the immense potential of the colonies was lost. To claim that England gained a trade partner while losing a subject, as Marshall states, means to ignore the opportunities that the maintaining of effective rule would have offered to Britain. Another debatable issue is the tendency to stress the part played by the metropolis and to focus on the political struggle from England, instead on the developments from the colonies - for example, in the case of the South African War (1899 - 1902). Moreover, Marshall gives too much credit to the political elite of England, considered to be the only decisive  factor for the destiny of the British empire. This may seem hazardous; but is a vision based on shrewd observations and pertinent evidences and speculative as it is, cannot be entirely rejected. More controversial is the problem of the end of the British empire. Marshall cites numerous facts who led to the process of dissolution, among them internal pressure, nationalistic movements, international decline. But he pays only secondary attention to those, holding the British political elite responsible for the final decision. To put it into his own words, the best interest of England did not involve any longer the maintaining of an empire. The Commonwealth emerged as the result of the belief that the British empire was a way of spreading freedom and improvement across the world. This vision is subject to major criticism. Indeed, this appears to be a moral cover of more concrete reasons, which probably left no other valid solution to the problem of colonialism.
 Part two represents a vivid description of the empire’s society. The main features presented - each of them in a special chapter - regard the economy, the government and the administration of empire, the mental attitudes related to the existence of empire, the emigration within the borders of the British empire and the colonial art. The interaction between the British and the indigenous civilisations is the general topic. A particular space is reserved to the presentation of the challenges which accompanied the colonisation process: international conflicts, revolts, famine, slavery, religion and conversion to Christianity, education, emerging nationalism, terrorism.
 Part three has the advantage of providing an alternative, non-English point of view. But it consists only on brief, though valuable conclusions about the evolution of Australia, Africa and India within the British empire. It is regrettable that only a limited space was assigned to these attempts of explaining the impact of Britain on colonies.
 Accurate and reliable, the work is an extremely useful introduction to the problems concerning the history of the British empire. The numerous and descriptive illustrations and maps add to the value of the book. The general line upheld by the contributors makes this volume a very interesting reading; instead of seeking an apology for empire, they tried to provide convincing answers through the amount of controversies raised by this topic.

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