Witnessing Imperial Retreat

The greatest change Britain has faced since the Second World War has been the loss of an overseas Empire. Increasingly few Britons now remember the Empire, often through the tales their fathers told of fighting overseas in North Africa, in Burma and in India, or through Empire Day, or Imperial commodities they consumed, or dim memories of news bulletins about colonial Independence struggles. This talk traces the demise of that Empire and the legacies - sometimes baleful - that still remain in the world, and how the very word Empire has become mired in controversy.

This talk will be delivered by BMI Historian in residence and local Birmingham historian Andrew Reekes