The Struggle for Empire: A Story of the Year 2236
{{Short description|1900 novelette by Robert William Cole}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
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{{Infobox book
| image =
| caption =
| author = Robert William Cole
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| country = UK
| language = English
| series =
| genre = Novelette
| pages =
| publisher = Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.C.
| release_date = 1900
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| isbn =
| isbn_note =
| wikisource = The Struggle for Empire
}}
The Struggle for Empire: A Story of the Year 2236 written by Robert William Cole and first published in 1900 is a science fiction novel. It is regarded as one of the first space operas.{{cite book |last1=Bleiler |first1=Everett Franklin |title=Science Fiction: The Early Years |url=https://archive.org/details/sciencefictionea0000blei |url-access=registration |date=1992 |publisher=Kent State University Press |isbn=978-0873384162 |page=[https://archive.org/details/sciencefictionea0000blei/page/147 147]}}
Significance
It is often credited with being the first novel to introduce the concept of galactic empires, interstellar travel and fleets of starships in the thousands locked in combat.{{cite book |last1=Edward |first1=James |title=Anticipations: Essays on Early Science Fiction and Its Precursors |date=1995 |publisher=Syracuse University Press |isbn=978-0815626404 |page=[https://archive.org/details/anticipationsess00unse/page/43 43] |url=https://archive.org/details/anticipationsess00unse/page/43 }}
Plot
The British Empire has colonized the nations of Africa, Asia and others on Earth,{{cite book |last1=Wetmore |first1=Kevin J. |title=The Empire Triumphant: Race, Religion and Rebellion in the Star Wars Films |date=2017 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0786422197 |page=13}} and in which the 'Anglo-Saxon race' had 'long ago absorbed the whole globe'.{{cite book |last1=Claeys |first1=Gregory |title=Dystopia: A Natural History |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0198785682 |page=301}}
The expanding Anglo-Saxon Empire of Earth then clashes with a similar empire based on Kairet, a planet in the Sirius system. Both sides have forgotten spiritual and philosophical values, and are driven by greed. Commercial rivalries escalate into an interstellar war which results in the destruction of most of the Terran fleet and the invasion of Earth.
Future technology
The novel's technology includes antigravity, interplanetary radio, television, various forms of death ray and industrial transmutation.
References
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External links
- {{wikisource-inline|The Struggle for Empire|The Struggle for Empire|single=true}}
- [https://forgottenfutures.co.uk/struggle/struggle.pdf The Struggle For Empire (free PDF)]
- [https://forgottenfutures.co.uk/struggle/struggle.epub The Struggle For Empire (free ePub)]
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Category:English science fiction novels
Category:1900 science fiction novels
Category:British science fiction novels