The role of the classical heritage in James Mill's assessment of Britain's imperial experience

Abstract

The article analyzes James Mill's views on the imperial policy of Great Britain in the frst quarter of the 19th century and his perception of the ancient experience of colonization. His ideas are examined in relation to the intellectual and political life of the UK at the end of the 18th — the frst quarter of the 19th century. This was the period when a radical reform movement arose that adopted the ideas of Adam Smith, Jeremy Bentham and David Ricardo. An appeal to the history of Greece and Rome became an important argument in the debates about the future organization of the British Empire and in the relations between the metropolis and its colonies