Britain and Decolonization: Retreat from Empire in the Post-war World

This is a study of the post war break-up of the British Empire, organized chronologically and written in narrative form. As the great imperial power before 1939, Britain played a leading role in the great post-war shift in the relationship between the West and the Third World, which we call "decolonization". From the abandonment of the raj in India to the eventual entry into the European Community, there were revolutionary changes in Britain's long tradition of aloofness from Europe and pursuit of world power. The author examines the reasons for the British giving up their Asian and African colonies after 1945 asking whether nationalism in colonial societies or indifference in Britain was the key factor in the dissolution of the British Empire. Was the decay of British power and influence an inevitable consequence of imperial decline? Did British policies in the last phase of empire reflect an acceptance of decline or the hope that it would be postponed indefinitely by timely concessions? He also questions the significance of the Suez crisis and the Falklands war. Geoffrey Warner also wrote " Britain, Egypt and the Middle East".