THE succession of events which have led to the almost total loss of British prestige in the sight of the world, the failure in the lamentable Ethiopian affair, Britain's recognition of Bolshevism in Russia and Spain, and mistaken policy in India, Palestine, Egypt and elsewhere, make it imperative for every Briton to enquire into the causes of the rise and fall of the British Empire. Those words" British Empire" have swelled the hearts of many Britons with patriotism, loyalty and devotion. Patriotic idealists believed that the term embodied the aspirations of a great people to spread the greatness of their acquired civilisation over the uttermost ends of the earth. To them, possessions, colonies, dominions meant the extension of that beneficent power. For the sake ofimplanting or defending the reverenced flag in remote places, they cheerfully and nobly shed their blood and sacrificed their lives ... And the British Empire, emerging from the small Kingdom of Great Britain, was born, developed and prospered. Eventually, the British flag waved proudly over islands and continents in all parts of the hemispheres; it crossed seas and oceans, commanded respect and even fear.