This is a political history but not a narrow cabinet, parliamentary or electoral history. Political events provide the focus for the wider social, economic and cultural context. The complex roots and motivations of developments such as imperialism or the Liberal welfare legislation after 1906 are explored in the light of recent research, resulting in a fresh and up-to-date synthesis significantly different from traditional interpretations. Democracy and Empire adopts a balanced view of the deep ideological conflicts of the period and also blends solidly founded information with an interpretative approach. It presents a coherent view of the half century, illuminating themes that still form the substance of much current political and academic debate.