Old World, New World: Great Britain and America from the Beginning

by Kathleen Burk

Book Overview

In Old World, New World , recently published to wide acclaim in hardcover, Kathleen Burk sets out to tell the whole story of America and Great Britain for the first time. Burk is a fourth-generation... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0871139715
• ISBN13: 9780871139719
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
• Length: 848 Pages
• Weight: 2.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A special relationship

During the time of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, it was easy to see that Britain and the United States had a special relationship -- it was embodied very much in the personalities and ideologies of the two leaders. However, one cannot but wonder what personal bond there might have been between George W. Bush and Tony Blair, men from different backgrounds and opposite party affiliations, and yet the special relationship between Britan and the United States remained so firm that it remained largely unquestioned both at home and abroad. Kathleen Burk makes a good attempt at helping to explain this special relationship -- it is a theme that runs throughout her text. Even the War for Independence and the War of 1812 did not serve to severe the special relationship that existed between Britain and her former colonies; even the ascendancy of the United States onto the world stage, in many ways replacing and upstaging Britain in international affairs did not undermine the relationship. This is a bond that reaches back nearly half a millennium. Burk traces the history back to the earliest settlements in North America by the British, and the development of a colonial system that was both independent from and dependent upon Britain in ways not often considered; the culture of the colonies was largely dependent upon Britain, and until the time of the Revolution, much effort was put forth by many of those same colonist who led the revolt to gain Britain's favor, both politically and culturally. There is some of this still at work in the international world -- as the United States grew in the twentieth century into a world power in the place of Britain, it still sought many of the ideals that had been part of the imperial intent: civilization, democracy, liberal economy, etc. Both had the idea that theirs was a culture worth exporting, and both exhibited the same kind of turning-a-blind-eye to some abuses that seemed less important than the imperial/international enterprise as a whole. For the Anglophile in America or the Americanophile in Britain, this is a great book. For those who wish to explore the history of this special (not always peaceful, but still strong) relationship, this book offers some valuable insights. Burk also looks at some cultural history items, such as how people lived their everyday lives (history is not just a 'great men' idea, after all) as well a some literary surveys, seeing how literary and cultural influences went in both directions across the Atlantic. I am reminded of a poster printed shortly after the laying of the transatlantic cable for telegraphs, showing the connection between London and New York for the first time, having the Lion of England very much the dominant figure, and the Eagle of America a smaller figure a bit more distant. Queen Victoria sent the message across in congratulations to the American President (lest we forget, it was an American who set out to lay the cable, and through his drive

Comprehensive history of the US-British relationship

While I am still only about half-way through this book, I feel I have covered enough of it to write a review. If there is anything more to add when I am finished, I will revisit this review and add additional notes at that time. I thought I knew a lot about American history, but this book reveals just how much I never learned in school, especially our history during the 18th and 19th centuries. The book covers the history of the United States and the English/British relationship with it, from the very first explorations and early settlement attempts in Virginia. The book primarily focuses on diplomatic efforts, but covers enough details of the military campaigns to cover the essential elements of the various wars we've engaged in. For example, coverage of the War of 1812 includes details of the British attacks on Washington DC, while also covering the behind-the-scenes diplomatic moves in Europe. As background, mention is made of the other wars Britain was involved in at the time to show how the American war was a low priority, in the assignment of both military resources and diplomatic resolve. The desire to end the American war, so that resources could be applied elsewhere, was as important to the British as was the relegation of lower-level diplomats to the negotiations. The only negative thing about the book is probably also its greatest positive, which is simply the vast quantity of details covered. Each page is crammed with facts and the paragraphs are rather long, making it a bit difficult to read. However, it is a very enjoyable and informative read and is well worth the effort. This is one of those books that will benefit from a second reading and will serve as a comprehensive reference on the shelf of anyone who is interested in the history of this unique relationship.

It makes history come alive!

Honestly, I don't know where to begin. "Old World, New World" is a work of mammoth proportion and meticulous scholarship which details the myriad complexities of the relationship between Great Britain and America beginning in colonial times and continuing through the opening of the 21st century. Most people alive today have only known this relationship from the perspective of the giant personalities over the last 75 years: Churchill and Roosevelt; Thatcher and Reagan; Blair and Bush, etc. The full story is far more complex -- and more interesting. The author, an American who has lived and taught in Britain for many years, has truly done her homework. But this book goes further. Many historians can adequately (or even superbly) convey facts. However, it takes a special skill; a special "knack", if you will, to transform facts into characters and events which leap off the page and grip the reader. In the opinion of this reviewer, the author does exactly that. She makes history come alive. This book would make an excellent college text -- and is equally valuable and appealing for the "armchair historian" (like me) wishing to expand his horizons and learn new things. Very highly recommended.

A History of love and hate...

Kathleen Burk takes on the momentous, and previously undone task of explaining the "special relationship" that has and continues to exist between the United States and Great Britain. As an American now teaching history in England at UCL , University College London, she brings to light over 400 years of separate and shared history between these two great nations and more importantly the waxing and waning of the British Empire and the ascension of the American superpower. This shared history starts with the Colonization of the New World and moves from war to war showing that the apron strings got threadbare at times but never really broke between the mother country and her offspring. Burk lightly explores the relationships that developed between Churchill and Roosevelt, Kennedy and Macmillan, Reagan and Thatcher, Bush Jr. and Blair. She blends into this history the cultural, military, financial and economic influences that tore and tugged at this love-hate relationship. This fascinating read is filled with information, from a decidedly British point of view, that is often ignored or skimmed over in other histories. Burk lays out America's isolationist desires and how over time these would change. In times of crisis, neither the U.S nor Great Britain have been willing and able to go it alone. She manages to keep this history fairly unbiased especially as England's power base erodes, her commonwealth declines and America's sphere of influence rises. When reading this work, I can't help but be reminded of Charles de Gaulle's words, "Nations don't have friends, they have interests". Sometimes America's interests and Great Britain's have not always been on the same page but in a remarkable way a lot of the interests have been much the same. Even when, at times, those interests were prodded from outside forces as well as from inside influences. No one really knows when and if the final chapter on this relationship will be written but Kathleen Burk should be please with this work. Well worth the read and addition to the history shelf.

Great Britain and America Intertwined

At the outset of her study of the historical relationship between Great Britain and the United States, Kathleen Burk quotes the American novelist and expatriate to Britain William James: "I have not the least hesitation in saying that I aspire to write in such a way that it wd. be impossible to an outsider to say whether I am, at a given moment, an American writing about England or an Englishman writing about America ... & so far from being ashamed of such an ambiguity I should be exceedingly proud of it, for it would be highly civilized." As did Henry James, Professor Burk has strong ties to both the United States and England. She is a fourth generation Californian with degrees from UCLA. Following her studies in the United States, Burk took a degree from Oxford. On a personal level, Burk tells the reader, she is married to an Englishman. Burk currently teaches at Oxford, but she has also taught extensively in her native land. Her book, "Old World, New World" shows that Professor Burk has succeeded in the difficult task of seeing the relationship between the United States and Great Britain with sympathy and understanding from both sides. Her ability to become part of each culture is the chief strength of this excellent history. In her book, Burk tries to show that there is a "special relationship" between the United States and Britain which is largely different from the relationship between any other two nations. She traces the course of this relationship over four centuries, beginning with the first attempts at British colonization of America in the early 17th Century to the present day. With the lengthy time frame of her study, Burk shows how the relationship has evolved. Thus, the story begins with Britain beginning her rise to Empire and then losing what were the 13 colonies in the Revolutionary War. Britain continued her rise to world dominance in the Nineteenth Century over a rambunctious United States. With the 20th Century, the costs of two World Wars, the end of Britain's empire, and the conclusion of the Cold War,the positions of the United States and Britain were reversed. The United States became the world's dominant economic and military power, while a restive Britain reluctantly settled into the role of regional power. Burk shows how the United States and Britain shared many of the same traits during their times of world dominance. These traits include a genuine desire to do good and to act democratically. Both countries also shared a certain arrogance and blindness in concluding that they possessed some special insight into what was good and in too readily conflating "the good" with their own political and economic ambitions. Burk also describes the "love-hate" character of the relationship between Great Britain and the United States. At the outset of the relationship, the colonists were proud to consider themselves British subjects. With the Revolution and American independence, the two countries were enemies for many