The Imperial Nation: Citizens and Subjects in the British, French, Spanish, and American Empires

The legacy of monarchical empires shaped Britain, France, Spain, and the United States as they became liberal entities, with each empire trying to ensure domination through subordinate representation or by denying any representation at all. This led to unequal and hierarchical political relations, with the mix of indigenous peoples, European-origin populations, slaves and indentured workers, immigrants, and unassimilated social groups leading to social underpinnings.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 416 pages
Publication date: 08 June 2021
Publisher: Princeton University Press

Historians view the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries as a pivotal period when imperial monarchies collapsed and modern nations emerged. Treating this moment as a bridge rather than a break, The Imperial Nation offers a comprehensive examination of four of these modern powers: Great Britain, France, Spain, and the United States. The book explores how, after the great revolutionary cycle in Europe and America, the history of monarchical empires shaped these new nations.

Josep Fradera delves into this transition, paying particular attention to the relations between imperial centers and their sovereign territories and the constant and changing distinctions placed between citizens and subjects. Fradera argues that the central struggle that lasted from the Seven Years War to the twentieth century was over the governance of diverse and varied peoples: each empire sought to ensure dominance through subordinate representation or by denying any representation altogether. The most common approach echoed Napoleon's "special laws," which allowed France to reinstate slavery in its Caribbean possessions. The Spanish and Portuguese constitutions adopted "specialness" in the 1830s; the United States used comparable guidelines to distinguish between states, territories, and Indian reservations; and the British similarly ruled their dominions and colonies. In all these empires, the mix of indigenous peoples, European-origin populations, slaves, indentured workers, immigrants, and unassimilated social groups led to unequal and hierarchical political relations. Fradera considers not only political and constitutional transformations but also their social underpinnings.

The book also examines the impact of these empires on the development of nationalism and the rise of liberalism. Fradera argues that the collapse of the monarchical empires led to a sense of national identity and a desire for self-determination among the peoples of these nations. The rise of liberalism, on the other hand, was influenced by the Enlightenment ideas of individual rights, democracy, and social justice, which were spread by the empires' expansion and colonization.

The Imperial Nation is a valuable contribution to the study of modern history and imperialism. It provides a detailed and nuanced analysis of the complex relations between imperial centers and their sovereign territories, the struggles for governance, and the social and political transformations that occurred in these nations. The book will be of interest to scholars and students of history, politics, and international relations.

Dimension: 235 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691217345