▁on ▁the ▁British ▁Empire . ▁Sch ol ars ▁have ▁long ▁studied ▁the ▁Empire , ▁looking ▁at ▁the ▁causes ▁for ▁its ▁formation , ▁its ▁relations ▁to ▁the ▁French ▁and ▁other ▁emp ires , ▁and ▁the ▁kinds ▁of ▁people ▁who ▁became ▁imperial ists ▁or ▁anti - imper ial ists , ▁together ▁with ▁their ▁mind sets . ▁The ▁history ▁of ▁the ▁break down ▁of ▁the ▁Empire ▁has ▁attract ed ▁sch ol ars ▁of ▁the ▁histor ies ▁of ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁( which ▁broke ▁away ▁in ▁ 1 7 7 6 ), ▁the ▁British ▁Raj ▁( d iss ol ved ▁in ▁ 1 9 4 7 ), ▁and ▁the ▁African ▁colon ies ▁( in dependent ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s ). ▁John ▁Dar win ▁( 2 0 1 3 ) ▁ident ifies ▁four ▁imperial ▁goals : ▁colon izing , ▁civil izing , ▁converting , ▁and ▁commerce . ▁ ▁Histor ians ▁have ▁approached ▁imperial ▁history ▁from ▁numerous ▁angles ▁over ▁the ▁last ▁century . ▁ ▁In ▁recent ▁dec ades ▁sch ol ars ▁have ▁expanded ▁the ▁range ▁of ▁topics ▁into ▁new ▁areas ▁in ▁social ▁and ▁cultural ▁history , ▁pay ing ▁special ▁attention ▁to ▁the ▁impact ▁on ▁the ▁n atives ▁and ▁their ▁ag ency ▁in ▁response . ▁The ▁cultural ▁turn ▁in ▁histor i ography ▁has ▁recently ▁emphas ised ▁issues ▁of ▁language , ▁religion , ▁gender , ▁and ▁identity . ▁ ▁Rec ent ▁deb ates ▁have ▁considered ▁the ▁relationship ▁between ▁the ▁" metro pole " ▁( Gre at ▁Britain ▁itself , ▁especially ▁London ), ▁and ▁the ▁colonial ▁peri ph