What is a document? -- How to read a document -- Imperialism in the modern age -- On the brink of modern empire : Vital knowledge -- Mixed responses to Europeans -- The white peril -- Figuring out differences -- Freedom's ferment -- The "new world" remakes colonialism -- The Monroe doctrine -- Imperialism takes off : British aggression in Asia and the Middle East -- Grounds for conquest -- Newcomers join the race for empire -- Technology and economics : Plotting profit-making -- Voices of opportunity -- Devastation -- The clash of scientific cultures -- Imperial societies : Remaking the ruling class -- Imperializing local elites -- Social reforms -- New identities -- Imperial culture : Why others were not so good as the imperial powers -- Educating for inferiority -- Popular culture spreads imperial confidence -- Mixture -- Rivalry and resistance : Fighting back -- The great powers prepare to take more -- Predicting the end -- Challenging the west -- World War I : The race for empire and the race to war -- Broken promises -- Sensing change -- Remembering the colonial dead -- The torturous path toward liberation : Escalation -- Brewing and shaming -- Global mixture continues -- Fusion for liberation -- Epilogue.