The British Empire was a lot more important than most recognize. Its propagandists, 100 years ago and today, like to pretend that it was just one among many competing empires. This book shows that in fact, it was the first of only two countries that has managed to run the entire world. The United States is the second. The British Empire died in the flames of the two world wars its mistakes created. This book tries to identify the lessons we need to keep the US Empire from ending the same way.