For too long there has been an unquestioning acceptance that Britain's economic decline began long before the First World War. By focusing on international trade in the 1873-1914 period this book analyses the facts behind this myth, examining Britain's performance in comparison with that of its major rivals in the very areas where they came into competition with each other. What emerges is a much more complex picture of both losses and gains, in which Britain's position gradually adjusted to a changing world economic order, and appeared to be doing so remarkably successfully.

List of Tables - Foreword - Notes on the Contributors - Introduction: Britain's 'Decline' - Britain and Germany - The City of London and International Trade, 1850-1914; R.Michie - Particular Points of Strength in Britain's Overseas Trade - British Trade to Singapore and Hong Kong; A.J.H.Latham - Trade Competition in the Regions of Recent Settlement - Conclusion - Index