Britain's Declining Empire: The Road to Decolonisation 1918-1968

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

An authoritative political history of one of the world's most important empires on the road to decolonisation. Ronald Hyam's 2007 book offers a major reassessment of the end of empire which combines a study of British policymaking with case studies on the experience of decolonization across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. He describes the dysfunctional policies of an imperial system coping with postwar, interwar and wartime crises from 1918 to 1945 but the main emphasis is on the period after 1945 and the gradual unravelling of empire as a result of international criticism, and the growing imbalance between Britain's capabilities and its global commitments. He analyses the transfers of power from India in 1947 to Swaziland in 1968, the major crises such as Suez and assesses the role of leading figures from Churchill, Attlee and Eden to Macmillan and Wilson. This is essential reading for scholars and students of empire and decolonisation.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Frontispiece (p. ii)
• List of illustrations (p. vii)
• Maps (p. ix)
• Preface (p. xi)
• List of abbreviations (p. xvi)
• Introduction (p. 1)
• 1 The essence of the empire (p. 1)
• 2 The futility and the irony (p. 12)
• 1 'The whole world is rocking': British governments and a dysfunctional imperial system, 1918-1945 (p. 30)
• 1 Racism (p. 37)
• 2 Zionism (p. 49)
• 3 Nationalism (p. 59)
• 4 Idealism: the British Commonwealth (p. 69)
• 5 Geopolitics (p. 73)
• 6 New directions - and war (p. 84)
• 2 'British imperialism is dead': the Attlee government and the end of empire, 1945-1951 (p. 94)
• 1 Who was in charge? (p. 97)
• 2 The transfer of power in Asia: India, Burma, and Ceylon (p. 104)
• 3 Palestine (p. 123)
• 4 Economic problems and geopolitical imperatives (p. 130)
• 5 The new African policy (p. 139)
• 6 The Gold Coast (p. 146)
• 7 Cyprus and 'Enosis' (p. 150)
• 8 The Islamic world (p. 154)
• 9 Labour's legacy (p. 162)
• 3 'Rugged and tangled difficulties': the Churchill and Eden governments and the end of empire, 1951-1956 (p. 168)
• 1 Personalities and other constraints (p. 171)
• 2 The African colonies (p. 182)
• 3 Other territories (p. 198)
• 4 Commonwealth issues (p. 212)
• 5 Egypt: decline and fall (p. 221)
• 4 'The wind of change is blowing': the Macmillan and Douglas-Home governments and the end of empire, 1957-1964 (p. 241)
• 1 Policy-making: ministers, officials and governors (p. 242)
• 2 Planning: surveys and statements (p. 250)
• 3 Political developments (p. 262)
• 4 Problems: the international context (p. 301)
• 5 'We could no longer afford to honour our pledges': the Wilson government and the end of empire, 1964-1968 (p. 327)
• 1 Mentalities and priorities (p. 331)
• 2 Generalities (p. 343)
• 3 Particularities (p. 355)
• Epilogue (p. 398)
• Appendix (p. 411)
• Select bibliography (p. 413)
• Index (p. 452)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Hyam (emer., Cambridge), eminent historian of the British Empire, has produced a sequel to his well-received Britain's Imperial Century, 1815-1914: A Study of Empire and Expansion (CH, Sep'76; 3rd ed., 2002). Together the two books provide a concise survey of the rise and fall of the British Empire. This welcome volume engages in important historiographical debates about the end of empire. Based on extensive primary research, it comes to some interesting new conclusions about the motivation of a variety of government officials. Hyam argues that the British government never had a preconceived plan for ending the empire, and always hoped to maintain it as long as possible. However, international considerations such as the British relationship with the US, the Commonwealth, and the UN, and the perceived need to combat communist expansion eventually made empire seem a liability, when combined with the pressure of local nationalism and domestic financial constraints. It was only then that government officials acquiesced in the empire's demise. This book, rich, detailed, and clearly written, should appeal to students and scholars alike. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, researchers, and faculty. L. B. Williams Central Connecticut State University