Decolonization: The Fall of the European Empires

This book charts the decolonization of Asia, Africa and the Caribbean from 1945 to the present day, analyzing the ways in which countries separated themselves from the control of the European Powers. The author provides a concise historiographical survey of decolonization, placing the last days of the empire in the context of long–term international developments. For the Second Edition, a new chapter has been added to examine the post–Cold War realignments in Central and Eastern Europe which mark the final phase of decolonization. Coverage is also given to the hand–over of Hong Kong from Britain to China in 1997. In view of recent changes, the conclusion has also been fully revised. The text also includes an updated chronology of events and a completely rewritten bibliography, to guide the student to further reading.

Outline Chronology. Maps. Introduction. Part I: The Background: . 1. First Colonial Responses. Part II: The British Empire: Asia: . 2. India. 3. Ceylon, Burma and Malaya. Part III: The British Empire: Africa: . 4. Ghana. 5. Nigeria. 6. Sierra Leone and The Gambia. 7. East Africa (Uganda, Tankanyika and Zanzibar). 8. Kenya. 9. South Central Africa (the Rhodesias and Nyasaland). Part IV: The British Empire: Outposts: . 10. The Caribbean. 11. The Mediterranean. 12. The ′Daughters′. Part V: The Commonwealth:. Part VI: The French Empire: . 13. North Africa. 14. Black Africa and Madagascar. 15. Indochina. Part VII: The Empires of the Smaller European Powers: . 16. The Dutch Empire. 17. The Belgian Empire. 18. The Italian Empire. 19. The Spanish Empire. 20. The Portuguese Empire. 21. The Russian Empire. Conclusion. Guide to Further Reading. References. Index.

Muriel Chamberlain is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Wales, Swansea. She is currently the editor of The Historian , the journal of the Historical Association and is an Associate Editor of The New Dictionary of National Biography . Her previous publications include Lord Aberdeen: a Political Biography (1983), Lord Palmerston (1987), Pax Britannica: British Foreign Policy, 1789–1914 (1988) and The Scramble for Africa (second edition 1999). She is also joint editor of an English edition of Friedrich Fabri’s Does Germany Need Colonies? (Ed. with Breuning, 1998).

"I do find Chamberlain a very good introductory book to the subject of decolonization. It is just right for American freshmen. It is very well organised." William Cohen, Indiana