Volume IV: The Twentieth Century

The Oxford History of the British Empire is a major new assessment of the Empire in the light of recent scholarship and the progressive opening of historical records. From the founding of colonies in North America and the West Indies in the seventeenth century to the reversion of Hong Kong to China at the end of the twentieth, British imperialism was a catalyst for far-reaching change. The Oxford History of the British Empire as a comprehensive study allows us to understand the end of Empire in relation to its beginnings, the meaning of British imperialism for the ruled as well as the rulers, and the significance of the British Empire as a theme in world history. Volume IV considers many aspects of the 'imperial experience' in the final years of the British Empire, culminating in the mid-century's rapid processes of decolonization. It seeks to understand the men who managed the empire, their priorities and vision, and the mechanisms of control and connection which held the empire together. There are chapters on imperial centres, on the geographical 'periphery' of empire, and on all its connecting mechanisms, including institutions and the flow of people, money, goods, and services. The volume also explores the experience of 'imperial subjects' - in terms of culture, politics, and economics; an experience which culminated in the growth of vibrant, often new, national identities and movements and, ultimately, new nation-states. It concludes with the processes of decolonization which reshaped the political map of the late twentieth-century world. Contributors to this volume - Stephen Ashton, Research Fellow, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London Glen Balfour-Paul, Research Fellow, University of Exeter Peter John Brobst, Ph.D. Texas, author Judith Brown, Beit Professor of the History of the British Commonwealth, and Fellow of Balliol College, University of Oxford John W. Cell, Professor of History, Duke University, North Carolina Anthony Clayton, Senior Research Fellow, De Montfort University Stephen Constantine, Senior Lecturer, University of Lancaster John Darwin, Beit Lecturer in the History of the British Commonwealth, and Fellow of Nuffield College, University of Oxford Toyin Fayola, Professor of African History, University of Texas D. K. Fieldhouse, former Vere Harmsworth Professor of Imperial and Naval History, and Fellow of Jesus College, University of Cambridge W. Travis Hanes III, Research Associate, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Texas at Austin Robert Holland, Reader in Imperial and Commonwealth History at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London Ronald Hyam, President of Magdalene College, and University Reader in British Imperial History, University of Cambridge Keith Jeffery, Professor of History, University of Ulster at Jordanstown Howard Johnson, Professor in Black American Studies and History, University of Delaware Alan Knight, Professor of the History of Latin America, and Fellow of St Anthony's College, University of Oxford John Lonsdale, University Reader in African History, and Fellow of Trinity College, University of Cambridge Wm. Roger Louis, Kerr Professor of English History and Culture, and Distinguished Teaching Professor, University of Texas at Austin; Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford W. David MacIntyre, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand David MacKenzie, author, Toronto John M. MacKenzie, Professor of Imperial History, University of Lancaster Deirdre McMahon, teacher, University of Limerick Shula Marks, Professor of South African History, School of African and Oriental Studies, University of London Rosalind O' Hanlon, Lecturer in History, Clare College, University of Cambridge Jurgen Osterhammel, Professor, Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva Nicholas Owen, University Lecturer in Politics and Fellow and Praelector of the Queen's College, University of Oxford A.D. Roberts, Professor of History of Africa, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London Francis Robinson, Professor of the History of South Asia, Royal Holloway College, University of London A. J. Stockwell, Professor of Imperial and Commonwealth History at Royal Holloway College, University of London B. R. Tomlinson, Professor of Economic History, University of Strathclyde