The British Empire in the 1950s Retreat or Revival [Hardcover]

This collection of studies examines the history of the British empire during the 1950s. This is a relatively neglected period in the historiography of British decolonization, coming as it does after the more well researched era of the late 1940s that saw the start of moves to decolonize the empire. The papers in this volume analyze imperial policy and the place of the empire in British society during the 1950s and the degree to which these years represented a period of continuing retreat or of imperial re-assertion.Preface Notes on Contributors Introduction; M.Lynn Was There a Fourth British Empire; J.Darwin Keeping Change within Bounds: A Whitehall Reassessment; S.R.Ashton 'Government by Blackmail': The Origins of the Central African Federation Reconsidered; P.Murphy African Prospects: Mining the Empire for Britain in the 1950s; S.Stockwell Decolonisation in the 1950s: The Version According to British Business; N.J.White Things Fall Apart: The Erosion of Local Government, Local Justice and Civil Rights in Ghana, 1955-60; R.Rathbone 'We Cannot let the North Down': British Policy and Nigeria in the 1950s; M.Lynn Anglo-American Revival and Empire During the Macmillan Years, 1957-63; N.J.Ashton Public Enemy Number One: The British Empire in the Dock at the United Nations, 1957-1971; R.Louis When (if ever) did Empire End? 'Internal Decolonisation' in British Culture since the 1950s' S.Howe Index

'Few collections are as significant as this one...[a] stimulating and striking set of essays.' - The Round Table

'The British Empire in the 1950s is a most welcome addition to the historiography of British decolonisation and will be of considerable interest to scholars and students alike. The chapters are well-written and offer a coherent interpretation of the decade which highlights the often contradictory nature of imperial intention and reality.' - Andrew Cohen, South African Historical Journal

'Each of the essays, as well as MartinlÃj