The British Empire radically altered the modern world. At its height it governed over a quarter of the human race, and encompassed more than a fifth of the globe. As well as providing the British people with profits and a sense of international purpose, the Empire afforded them the opportunity to create new lives for themselves through emigration and settlement. For those it dominated and controlled, the Empire often represented arbitrary power, gunboat diplomacy, and the disruption of local customs, social structures and government by a distant and sometimes coldly unsympathetic administration. Yet while the Empire rested ultimately upon military force and direct rule, it also pulsated with ideals - ideals of freedom, democracy and even equality.,..