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Linda Colley Quotes
Linda Colley Quotes
Linda Colley
British
Historian
Born:
Sep 13
,
1949
America
American
Been
British
People
World
Related authors:
A. J. P. Taylor
Antony Beevor
Arnold J. Toynbee
Arthur Helps
C. Northcote Parkinson
Neil MacGregor
Norman Davies
Simon Schama
In the past, Britons were scathing about the cruelties of the old Roman empire and the excesses of Catholic empire builders such as the Spanish and the French. They convinced themselves that their empire was different and benign because it rested on sea power and trade rather than on armies.
Linda Colley
Old
Power
Past
Roman Empire
Britons
Benign
Rested
About
Rather
Excess
Empire
Armies
French
Catholic
Because
Builders
Trade
Were
Than
Roman
Different
In The Past
Spanish
Themselves
Convinced
Sea
Since the Second World War, as female expectations and opportunities have risen, becoming a royal woman - and remaining a royal woman - has seemed less and less an attractive proposition.
Linda Colley
War
Woman
World
Opportunities
Seemed
Risen
Remaining
Proposition
Since
Attractive
Female
Becoming
Expectations
Less
Second
Royal
World War
Second World War
The children of politicians learn the allure and tricks of politics along with their alphabet. They inherit a network of useful contacts, and - if they're lucky - a name that confers instant voter recognition.
Linda Colley
Politics
Politicians
Recognition
Tricks
Network
Instant
Allure
Contacts
Name
Voter
Along
Alphabet
Learn
Children
Useful
Inherit
Lucky
It was hardly their own shining abilities alone that allowed a son, two grandsons, and a son-in-law of Winston Churchill to make their way into parliament.
Linda Colley
Alone
Son
Own
Way
Churchill
Ability
Winston
Winston Churchill
Son-In-Law
Parliament
Allowed
Make
Shining
Hardly
Two
As Ronald Reagan demonstrated, it is still possible to progress if not from a log cabin at least from obscurity to the White House. It is also rare.
Linda Colley
Progress
Rare
White
White House
Possible
Log
Log Cabin
Cabin
Obscurity
House
Also
Reagan
Least
Still
Ronald Reagan
Most national holidays in most countries rest on selective memories of the past.
Linda Colley
Memories
Rest
National
Past
Selective
Countries
Most
Holidays
In Britain, British history is naturally a mainstream subject. Step outside your own narrow specialism, and you can find yourself treading on someone else's toes. But in America, British history is an eccentric, minority pursuit, and while this can be intellectually isolating, it also permits extraordinary freedom.
Linda Colley
Freedom
History
You
Yourself
Minority
Own
Else
Extraordinary
Find
Eccentric
Someone
Pursuit
Outside
Step
Mainstream
Also
Narrow
Permits
Subject
Intellectually
America
While
Toes
Your
Naturally
Treading
Britain
British
I don't even know if I'm British any more. I'm transatlantic, I'm European.
Linda Colley
More
Know
Any
European
Even
British
Once you know how completely and suddenly the earth can open up at your feet and the worst can happen, it also, paradoxically, leaves you more afraid of everything else.
Linda Colley
You
Else
Everything
Once
Earth
Everything Else
Worst
Paradoxically
More
Open
Feet
Know
Also
How
Leaves
Up
Afraid
Happen
Your
Suddenly
Although England, and the rest of the United Kingdom, possesses momentous constitutional texts and significant statutes, since the 1600s there has been no systematic attempt to codify the powers and limits of the British executive and the rights of those it governs.
Linda Colley
Rights
Rest
Those
Possesses
Systematic
Has-Been
Significant
Kingdom
Constitutional
Attempt
Since
Powers
Executive
Although
Limits
Been
Texts
Governs
England
Momentous
United
United Kingdom
British
Globalisation is not remotely new; it has been occurring, at differing rates and with differing degrees of scale, for centuries.
Linda Colley
Scale
Has-Been
Degrees
Rates
New
Remotely
Globalisation
Been
Centuries
Differing
The American revolution not only cost Britain the 13 colonies but also forced it to rethink the slave trade and slavery, and influenced its power relations in Asia and the Pacific.
Linda Colley
Power
Revolution
Relations
Cost
Only
Colonies
Rethink
Also
Forced
Trade
American
Influenced
Pacific
Asia
American Revolution
Slave
Slavery
Britain
Traditionally, royal females who have not had the luck to become queens regnant have been granted very limited roles. They have been expected to look pretty, be discreet, do charitable good deeds, and - if married to princes or kings - be quietly supportive and, above all, fertile.
Linda Colley
Good
Become
Luck
Good Deeds
Married
Charitable
Pretty
Kings
Above
Had
Supportive
Look
Princes
Limited
Females
Queens
Been
Discreet
Fertile
Very
Expected
Quietly
Roles
Granted
Who
Deeds
Royal
Once conscription was introduced during the First World War, and once Britain's wars ceased being confined to the empire or to continental Europe and began seriously threatening our own shores and safety, it became much easier to denounce any anti-war agitation and argument as inherently irresponsible and unpatriotic.
Linda Colley
War
World
Safety
Seriously
Argument
First
Own
Our
Once
Easier
Introduced
Unpatriotic
Threatening
Empire
Became
First World
First World War
Continental
Anti-War
Denounce
Began
Any
Shores
Confined
Irresponsible
Being
Much
Inherently
Agitation
Europe
Wars
Conscription
Britain
World War
Like the proverbial elephant in the room, American anti-Europeanism has loomed large for so long that few trouble to notice it.
Linda Colley
Long
Trouble
Few
Like
Proverbial
American
Room
Notice
Large
Elephant
In 21st-century America, as in Georgian Britain, elections are raucous, flamboyant, flag-waving, expensive, and sometimes ramshackle things.
Linda Colley
Sometimes
Georgian
America
Flamboyant
Expensive
Elections
Things
Britain
The 1857 uprising in India did not free the subcontinent, but it changed the way the British viewed and sought to govern it.
Linda Colley
Free
Changed
Way
India
Sought
Govern
Did
Uprising
Viewed
British
Never fly to the U.S. the day before Thanksgiving or the weekend after because every airport is guaranteed to be crammed to bursting with people in transit to, or from, their home town.
Linda Colley
Day
Thanksgiving
Home
People
Fly
Before
Every
Airport
Weekend
Never
Town
Because
Crammed
After
Bursting
Transit
Home Town
Guaranteed
I was born and spent my first five years in Chester, an ancient city that retains some of its Roman walls and fortifications and contains a great medieval cathedral, as well as Tudor, Stuart and early 19th century architecture. Visiting these things was free, and my parents - who had little money - made the most of this.
Linda Colley
Great
Architecture
Money
Walls
Made
Free
Parents
First
Spent
Ancient
Visiting
City
Some
Born
Stuart
Had
Contains
Most
Cathedral
Well
Years
Five
Roman
Little
Century
Little Money
Who
Things
Early
Medieval
Governments should encourage and facilitate the teaching of history, but one does not want them to be able to dictate, for political or partisan reasons, what kind of history and interpretations are on offer to children.
Linda Colley
History
Political
Kind
Able
Facilitate
Partisan
Does
Encourage
Governments
Dictate
Offer
Children
Want
Them
Should
Teaching
Reasons
Interpretations
From the very beginning, Americans have exhibited a taste for expansion, an appetite for empire. One of the fundamental reasons for this is very clear. Like every other western empire that has ever existed, Americans may claim to have inherited the mantle of ancient Rome.
Linda Colley
Beginning
Every
Other
Claim
Ancient
Ancient Rome
Clear
Empire
Like
Existed
Western
Very
Expansion
American
Taste
May
Rome
Mantle
Inherited
Reasons
Appetite
Fundamental
Ever
In both British and American history, fervent imperialism has always coexisted with bouts of fierce isolationism.
Linda Colley
History
Both
Imperialism
Always
Isolationism
Fervent
American
American History
Fierce
British
For good or for ill, Britain is in some respects moving away from a prime-ministerial system towards a presidential one. This is emphatically not, as is sometimes argued, simply a function of Tony Blair's personal ambition. The shift towards a more presidential style was already visible under Margaret Thatcher.
Linda Colley
Good
Sometimes
Style
Ambition
Presidential
Visible
Respects
System
Some
More
Blair
Argued
Simply
Towards
Shift
Personal
Thatcher
Moving
Moving Away
Ill
Function
Away
Margaret
Margaret Thatcher
Britain
Tony
Irrespective of their party affiliation or wishes on the matter, those governing from 10 Downing Street now have to take on much of the aura and role of head of state. And this is bound to have heavy consequences for their family.
Linda Colley
Family
Matter
Party
Consequences
State
Those
Take
Head
Bound
Wishes
Governing
Aura
Affiliation
Role
Irrespective
Heavy
Much
Downing
Now
Street
British prime ministers and prime ministers' spouses and children are together becoming ever more like first families. They need to be given sufficient resources and personnel to enable them to carry out their shifting roles efficiently, decently, and safely.
Linda Colley
Together
First
Shifting
Resources
Out
Carry
Ministers
Given
More
Prime
Prime Ministers
Like
Safely
Enable
Becoming
Spouses
Families
Efficiently
Roles
Children
Decently
Them
Personnel
Ever
Sufficient
British
Need
Look at how the British covered India with railroads, and it is easy to view them as modernisers. Look, however, at the abysmal levels of mass illiteracy in the subcontinent they left behind in 1947, and they appear rather differently.
Linda Colley
India
Easy
Rather
Mass
Abysmal
Look
How
However
Covered
Left
Behind
Them
View
Illiteracy
Appear
Railroads
Differently
Levels
British
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