Gregory Claeys proposes a new chronology for the emergence of opposition to the British Empire from 1850 to 1920.

Introduction: audi alteram partem: imperialism and the moral imagination; 1. Positivist diplomacy; 2. Socialism and empire: from Little England to Socialist Commonwealth 1850¿1920; 3. Contextualising Hobson: civilisation, utility and socialist imperialism; Conclusion: the fruits of imperial scepticism.