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A review by thegrimtidings
Running the Show: The Extraordinary Stories of the Men who Governed the British Empire by Stephanie Williams
4.0
I was very pleased with the focus of this book - I worried by focusing on governance specifically as a topic, this would not serve as the general whistlestop through Empire that I was hoping it would be, but Williams uses the stories of her chosen governors as a means to tell Empire's story and it is effective. As a means of viewing Empire through a somewhat digestible narrative, this book is perfect and I would recommend to anyone interested in the topic.
There must be about a dozen governors covered in this book, each with his own separate chapter. Some of them are more interesting than others - I loved in particular Flora Shaw and Lugard, and the Tennysons from whose chapters I could just detect Williams' passion for her subject. By the end of the book a decent sum of the Empire has been covered and seen - at least through the lens of these often unfortunate colonists. I wonder how Williams chose which governors to feature in her book; certainly while the concluding chapter speaks of the failures and evils of empire, from this book alone not much of it could be seen. The men we follow are broadly sympathetic in their aims, not the callous Flashman-type colonists who they may succeed. I would've liked to see the darker underbelly of Empire, covering the lives of those who we may not feel sympathy for, but I can see why they were not included. Broadly speaking the purpose of this account is to dig up forgotten names and remember them for the efforts they put into their cause.
If I could make one change I would've liked to see a chapter threading everything together back in London. We frequently see exchanges between governors and the foreign secretaries, civil servants, etc. back in Westminster but they remain the illusive figure behind everything. I would've liked to see how this element of imperial governance worked in practice too
There must be about a dozen governors covered in this book, each with his own separate chapter. Some of them are more interesting than others - I loved in particular Flora Shaw and Lugard, and the Tennysons from whose chapters I could just detect Williams' passion for her subject. By the end of the book a decent sum of the Empire has been covered and seen - at least through the lens of these often unfortunate colonists. I wonder how Williams chose which governors to feature in her book; certainly while the concluding chapter speaks of the failures and evils of empire, from this book alone not much of it could be seen. The men we follow are broadly sympathetic in their aims, not the callous Flashman-type colonists who they may succeed. I would've liked to see the darker underbelly of Empire, covering the lives of those who we may not feel sympathy for, but I can see why they were not included. Broadly speaking the purpose of this account is to dig up forgotten names and remember them for the efforts they put into their cause.
If I could make one change I would've liked to see a chapter threading everything together back in London. We frequently see exchanges between governors and the foreign secretaries, civil servants, etc. back in Westminster but they remain the illusive figure behind everything. I would've liked to see how this element of imperial governance worked in practice too