Table of Contents

Preface; Introduction; 1. 'The whole world is rocking': British governments and a dysfunctional imperial system, 1918–45; 2. 'British imperialism is dead': the Attlee government and the end of empire, 1945–51; 3. 'Rugged and tangled difficulties': the Churchill and Eden governments and the end of Empire, 1951–6; 4. 'The wind of change is blowing…': the Macmillan and Douglas-Home governments and the end of empire, 1957–64; 5. 'We could no longer afford to honour our pledges': the Wilson government and the end of empire, 1964–8; Epilogue; Select bibliography; Index.

Promotional Information

A major reassessment of the end of the British empire, focusing on the period after 1945, first published in 2007.

About the Author

Ronald Hyam is Emeritus Reader in British Imperial History at the University of Cambridge, and a Fellow and former president of Magdalene College. He is the author of The Lion and the Springbok: Britain and South Africa since the Boer War (2003).

Reviews

'Britain's Declining Empire listed as one of the 'History Books of the Year' by Steve Howe of the Independent in the Christmas Book Round-up. 'There is no shortage of books on end of empire, but Britain's Declining Empire stands out from the crowd for reliability, readability and scholarship. Writing with an originality and authority that few can match, he has produced a vivid, riveting, frequently amusing and profoundly thoughtful book that marks a significant advance on other studies of decolonization and deserves a wide audience.' A. J. Stockwell, Emeritus Professor of Modern History, Royal Holloway, University of London 'No one writes with more authority and felicity on the history of the British Empire than Ronald Hyam. This book on British rule and decolonization is destined to become a classic.' Wm Roger Louis, Kerr Chair in English History and Culture, University of Texas at Austin 'This magisterial volume, a sequel to Britain's Imperial Century, 1815-1914 (1976), is the distillation of a lifetime's learning and teaching about the British Empire. ... [Hyam] is a consummate historian with a transcendent literary style and he has crowned his career with a tour de force.' Literary Review 'It will probably come to be regarded as the best single-volume general account of decolonisation that has been written and answers familiar questions about the end of empire exceptionally well. In a field that has grown rich with general accounts, it offers the greatest sense of colour and personality in considering the end of empire, combined with an Olympian breadth of vision.' English Historical Review