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Preface On June 24, 2016, Britons awoke to the news that, by a narrow margin, the country had voted to leave the European Union. “Brexit” is sched- uled to take effect on March 29, 2019. This change, coming as it does after decades of often-reluctant membership in the European Union, has prompted serious introspection about what it means to be Brit- ish. Readers of this volume will see, however, that such introspection is nothing new. Britain has for many decades wrestled with the ten- sions of a historical past that literally spanned the globe, and the isola- tionism that propelled the Brexiters to victory in 2016 exists alongside both complex remnants of colonialism and an ambitious modern glo- balism. This updated edition will undoubtedly be incomplete within a few years of its publication, as the country will have to respond in new ways to the unpredictable economic and social pressures of a new iso- lationism. However, it attempts to incorporate the significant changes of the past 20 years into a narrative that reflects the shape of Britain’s ongoing—indeed, perpetual—task of self-definition. In several places, especially those describing current statistical trends, this narrative will also reflect the whole of the United Kingdom, but for the most part this history will focus on Great Britain proper—that is, England, Scotland, and Wales—and its place within the rise and fall of the larger empire.