Critical Review of Stephen Howe's Empire: A Very Short Introduction (Book Review Sample)

Critical Review of Stephen Howe’s Empire: A Very Short Introduction
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Critical Review of Stephen Howe’s Empire: A Very Short Introduction
The Empire: A Very Short Introduction, written by Stephen Howe, was published in 2002 by Oxford University Press as part of the Very Short Introduction (VSI) series of books covering different subject areas. Howe’s book is an in-depth introductory text in history and political science. The book explores the meaning of the concept of empires throughout history. The author’s approach to the subject enables him to combine different facts on the subject and analyze the issues involved. He is also able to explore different perspectives and introduce new ideas as well as relating different historical concepts to contemporary facts concerning the topic effectively.
Several factors account for the book’s effectiveness, including its overall organization, its arguments, and its prose format. The book is subdivided into five major chapters. These five sections of the book make it easier for the author to explore different perspectives on the topic, hence contributing immensely to the overall effectiveness of the book. For instance, the author explores the theme of empires through various aspects such as imperialism, different categories of empires, the decline of empires, and their impact. Through this organization, the author is able to explore the topic in depth, albeit with an introductory approach. On the other hand, the book notably lacks the chronological sequence of the events described. This would have significantly improved the book's effectiveness because it would enable readers who do not have a background in history to understand the basic historical facts related to empires. Nevertheless, the organization of the book manages to capture the audience and enables the author to explore the topic through various perspectives
Secondly, the book’s prose format also enhances its effectiveness. Its language and grammatical structure are unrivalled in the discipline of history. Consequently, the arguments in the book flow logically. As a result, the book is comprehensible to most readers. The language used is simple because the author avoids using any discipline-specific jargon that can be difficult to lay readers. The simple language enables the author to grab the attention of any audience interested in understanding the history of empires and the political nature of imperialism. The grammatical structure of the book also makes it unique because it enhances the effectiveness of the book in terms of how the audience understands the arguments.
The other major factor that contributes to the efficiency of the book is its arguments. Primarily, the book is founded on the premise that history of the world can be broadly understood as a history of empires. This is because of the role that empires have played in shaping human culture over the years. Consequently, Howe brings out his main argument that empires never died or collapsed with the fall of some of the largest historical empires such as the Roman Empire. In fact, he claims that it is only the meaning of the concept that has changed, but empires do exist today. The contemporary world sees many large empires disguised as agents of globalization, multinational companies, political unions, and the internet. These modern forms of empires continue to influence human behavior, affect culture and other aspects of human societies, in the same way that ancient empires did several years ago.
Additionally, the author backs up the arguments with substantial facts and analyses that are...