Ends of British Imperialism: The Scramble for Empire, Suez, and Decolonization

This is a major work of imperial history, by (in the words of A.J.P. Taylor) 'the foremost historian of the British Empire and Commonwealth in his generation'. Louis traces the British Empire from the scramble for Africa - itself the mirror-image of what was to become decolonization - through the Mandates system of 'sacred trust', the turbulent imperial history of the Second World War in Asia, and finally, to the unstoppable mid-20th century rush to independence. Of particular relevance as its 50th anniversary approaches, the Suez crisis was the icon of empire's end. It forms the ideal platform from which to examine the aims and outcome of empire. This authoritative and highly engaging history appears at a time when interest in the history of the British Empire has, ironically, never been stronger, making Ends of British Imperialism a must-read item for both scholar and general reader.