Imperial Factor in British Foreign Policy: Historical and Methodological Aspects of the Study
УДК 94:327.2(410) ББК 63.3(4 Вел)
Abstract
The article is devoted to an urgent problem of modern imperial studies, which draw on the historical experience of Great Britain to identify the role of the imperial factor in British foreign policy. It attempts to identify new methodological possibilities for studying the problem, which are opened up by involving the category of imperial identity. The authors proceed from the position, which is quite widespread in modern historiography, that the struggle to strengthen the empire during its heyday in the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries was the core of British foreign policy. The British elite’s views on the empire’s foreign policy were shaped by imperial identity, rooted in the recognition of Britain’s exceptional international status. This, in turn, necessitates a clearer distinction between imperial identity and imperial ideology. According to the authors, this approach creates a relevant program of discussion within the framework of the "new imperial history" and makes it possible to trace the origins of the modern imperial narrative, which still remains influential in Great Britain and beyond.
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