Informal Empire: The Origin and Significance of a Key Term

Abstract

Ever since the publication of "The Imperialism of Free Trade"by John Gallagher and Ronald Robinson in 1953, "informal empire"has been a key term for historians. It has, however, always been contentious. The central issue was whether imperial historians were prepared to accept a new concept of empire. This article explains the paradox of informal empire by creating a stronger provenance for the term. Since the early nineteenth century, imperial metaphors have been used to characterize Britain's position in the world economy. Gallagher and Robinson-like their immediate predecessors, Charles Fay and Keith Hancock-wanted to understand British imperialism in the broader context of European expansion while also formulating an alternative to the radical liberal and neo-Marxist interpretations widely current after World War I. Ultimately, the difficulty of using "empire"as a single category led Gallagher and one of his most influential successors to choose an alternative term.