The Age of Empire 1875 to 1914

The Age of Empire: 1875–1914 by Eric Hobsbawm (1987) is the third volume in his celebrated trilogy on the “long 19th century.” It explores the late Victorian and Edwardian era, marked by imperial expansion, industrial progress, and social upheaval. Hobsbawm examines the contradictions of the age: unprecedented peace and prosperity alongside rising nationalism, labor movements, and colonial domination. The book situates Europe’s global dominance within the broader currents that led to the First World War.