Introduction

Abstract

This book originated in a desire to call out empire, which has all too often slunk out of view as nation centered histories have opened up to the world. The na tionalist fervor of recent years has only underscored the value of both the trans and the imperial approaches brought together in this volume. In such times, it is worth recalling that no polity has ever gone it alone, whether rising or declining in might, and that onlyus nationalism has a long history of entwinement with imperialist impulses. Times of unraveling likewise make us take heed of the raveling, reminding us that global connections have never been inevitable, that our own global moment is the contingent product of high stakes strug gles over power. The fabric of our times has been knit together over millennia, unevenly, with plenty of dropped stitches and new threads. Some of the strands may have torn over time, but we are still enmeshed in the residual filaments of the past. One such filament, heralded with great acclaim in its day, was the first trans atlantic cable. Laid from Ireland to Newfoundland in 1858, this cable enabled electrical impulses to be sent via a copper wire from one shore of the Atlantic to the other. Policymakers at the time saw this and subsequent cables as stra tegically valuable technologies and as conduits for diplomatic dispatches. Recognizing the usefulness of cables for state purposes, officials helped negoti ate cable arrangements and offered subsidies to cable firms. 1 Cable commu nications affected international relations by reducing the likelihood of major battles being fought after the declaration of peace and reducing the autonomy granted by foreign offices to their diplomats. They also accelerated the pace of