The year is 2033. The British Empire never fell. Communism never happened. The Commonwealth flies the flag of the Empire. Many of the Empire's colonies are stripped bare in the name of British interests, powerless to resist. Upon this stage is Ceylon - a once-proud civilization tracing itself back to the time of the Pharaohs, reduced but not dead. The Great Houses of Kandy still control the most lucrative trade routes, since even dust and ashes can serve a purpose. In this surreal landscape, where technology and humanity intersect, we meet The Silent Girl - a survivor, an explorer.

It is the year 2034 A.D. Imagine that the British Empire never fell. Communism never happened. Britain conquered all that stood in her way, destroying the rebellions of the Americas and the British Raj. Now the Angels Interitus orbit the earth, ready to wipe out entire cities at a moment's notice with their tungsten bombs, and the dreadnoughts known as the Tin Soldiers march on all who would stand in Her Majesty's path. In the middle of these grand and great political games, a little island called Ceylon floats peacefully in the waters of the Indian Ocean. Those who invaded it saw only the ruins of empire, and spent their lives planting tea and building holiday bungalows here. But Ceylon is far from peaceful. Many things have happened. And many things are about to change.

Cicero’s comprehensive treatise on the Commonwealth known as De Republica is a work whose direct and practical purpose was to arouse Roman citizens to the dangers which then threatened destruction to the liberties of their country. In appealing to his countrymen "to rise on stepping-stones of their dead selves to higher things," the inspired patriot did not hesitate to promise that all patriotic and philanthropic statesmen should not only be rewarded on earth by the approval of their own consciences and the applause of all good citizens, but by immortal glory in a realm beyond the grave.

Tells the story of United States beginning with the earliest Americans and the arrival of strangers on the eastern shore, then moving through colonial society to the fight for independence and the construction of a federal republic. From there, it explains the renegotiations and refinements that took place as a new nation found its footing, and it traces the actions that eventually rippled into the Civil War. This volume goes beyond famous names and battles to incorporate politics, economics, science, arts, and culture. And it shows that issues that resonate today--immigration, race, labor, gender roles, and the power of technology--have been part of the American fabric since the very beginning. --Adapted from publisher description.

Looking at decolonization in the conditional tense, this volume teases out the complex and uncertain ends of British and French empire in Africa during the period of ‘late colonial shift’ after 1945. Rather than view decolonization as an inevitable process, the contributors together explore the crucial historical moments in which change was negotiated, compromises were made, and debates were staged. Three core themes guide the analysis: development, contingency and entanglement. The chapters consider the ways in which decolonization was governed and moderated by concerns about development and profit. A complementary focus on contingency allows deeper consideration of how colonial powers planned for ‘colonial futures’, and how divergent voices greeted the end of empire. Thinking about entanglements likewise stresses both the connections that existed between the British and French empires in Africa, and those that endured beyond the formal transfer of power.