How do empires work?

How are empires ruled? How do military, economic, logistic and cultural constructs combine to create 'systems of empire'? This free course, How do empires work?, introduces these questions by briefly sketching in the dramatic events of the Anglo-Chinese conflict over Hong Kong from 1839 to 1842.

• Introduction
• Learning outcomes
• 1 Empires as systems of power
• 1 Empires as systems of power
• 2 The Qing empire
• 2 The Qing empire
• 3 The British empire
• 3 The British empire
• 4 The Anglo-Chinese War
• 4 The Anglo-Chinese War
• Conclusion
• References
• Acknowledgements