eries . ▁The ▁" B rit ish ▁world " ▁histor ians ▁stress ▁the ▁material , ▁emot ional , ▁and ▁financial ▁links ▁among ▁the ▁colon izers ▁across ▁the ▁imperial ▁di as por a . ▁The ▁" new ▁imperial ▁histor ians ," ▁by ▁contrast , ▁are ▁more ▁concerned ▁with ▁the ▁Empire ' s ▁impact ▁on ▁the ▁met ro pole , ▁including ▁every day ▁experiences ▁and ▁images . ▁ ▁Phill ip ▁Buck ner ▁says ▁that ▁by ▁the ▁ 1 9 9 0 s ▁few ▁histor ians ▁continued ▁to ▁port ray ▁the ▁Empire ▁as ▁bene vol ent . ▁The ▁new ▁thinking ▁was ▁that ▁the ▁impact ▁was ▁not ▁so ▁great , ▁for ▁histor ians ▁had ▁discovered ▁the ▁many ▁ways ▁which ▁the ▁loc als ▁respond ed ▁to ▁and ▁adapted ▁to ▁Imperial ▁rule . ▁The ▁imp lication ▁Buck ner ▁says ▁is ▁that ▁Imperial ▁history ▁is ▁" there fore ▁less ▁important ▁than ▁was ▁formerly ▁believed ". ▁ ▁Historical ▁framework ▁Histor ians ▁agree ▁that ▁the ▁Empire ▁was ▁not ▁planned ▁by ▁anyone . ▁The ▁concept ▁of ▁the ▁British ▁Empire ▁is ▁a ▁construct ▁and ▁was ▁never ▁a ▁legal ▁entity , ▁unlike ▁the ▁Roman ▁or ▁other ▁European ▁emp ires . ▁There ▁was ▁no ▁imperial ▁constitution , ▁no ▁office ▁of ▁em peror , ▁no ▁uniform ity ▁of ▁laws . ▁So ▁when ▁it ▁began , ▁when ▁it ▁ended , ▁and ▁what ▁stages ▁it ▁went ▁through ▁is ▁a ▁matter ▁of ▁opinion , ▁not ▁official ▁orders ▁or ▁laws . ▁The ▁div iding ▁line ▁was ▁Britain ' s ▁shift ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 7 6 3 – 9 3 ▁period