Summary

The excerpt from Niall Ferguson’s non-fiction book Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World begins with some comments on the death of the British Empire. Ferguson claims that the two World Wars were among the main causes that led to the collapse of the British Empire. Moreover,, in the 1950s, people started coming to Britain from the former colonies, instead of the other way round. Also, Ferguson adds, since Christianity became less important in Britain, there were no longer missionaries going to the former colonies. . 

Ferguson then quotes a politician who believed that the British Empire’s legacy would consist only of football and a vulgar expression. Ferguson disagrees with this opinion and claims that people are unaware of the British Empire’s influence on our modern world. 

Ferguson then gives some examples of the Britis...