After Tamerlane: The Rise and Fall of Global Empires, 1400-2000

Winner of the 2008 Wolfson History Prize for excellence in historical writing. Tamerlane, the Ottomans, the Mughals, the Manchus, the British, the Japanese, the Nazis, and the Soviets: All built empires meant to last forever; all were to fail. But, as John Darwin shows in this magisterial book, their empire-building created the world we know today. From the death of Tamerlane in 1405, to America's rise to world "hyperpower," to the resurgence of China and India as global economic powers, "After Tamerlane "is a grand historical narrative that offers a new perspective on the past, present, and future of empires.