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A History of Britain by Simon Schama

Series 2

Episode 4: The Wrong Empire

Duration: 59 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC Two Northern Ireland (Analogue)Latest broadcast: on BBC Four

Available for 10 months

Simon Schama traces the steps of the empire-makers to tell the extraordinary story of how this small set of islands came to rule an empire that stretched around the globe. How did a trading enterprise based on the idea of liberty become an empire built on the enslavement of millions of Africans? How did Britain lose control of its own colony - America - yet go on to conquer India? On a journey that takes him to Barbados, North America, Canada and India, Schama reveals how Britain came to rule 'the wrong empire'. Show less

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