A Brief History of British Imperialism: From Slavery to the Special Relationship

Among its many achievements, the Black Lives Matter movement has sparked a much-needed debate about the legacy of the British Empire and its role in shaping our society today. Britain’s blood-soaked imperial history still casts a long shadow across the globe and in this meeting we will be looking into how that legacy is still reflected in our foreign policy. 

Recent military interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya and the approach taken by successive governments in those wars indicate a desire to return Britain to its status as a leading imperial power, or ‘to get our mojo back’ as George Osborne once put it. This is a mentality that ignores the brutal history of the British Empire and one we should aim to eradicate.

Our next panel event will provide a brief history of British Imperialism and aim to set the record straight. 

We are joined by:

 Emy Onoura, co-author of Great War to Race Riots and lecturer on Black British history
 Salma Yaqoob, Stop the War Patron and activist
- Chris Nineham, author of The British State: A Warning and Stop the War Vice Chair