The Transformation and Decline of the British Empire

Spencer Mawby offers a fresh perspective on the current literature and historiographical debates surrounding the end of the British Empire. Adopting a thematic approach, Mawby analyses the nature of anti-colonialism, domestic arguments regarding the empire, security and intelligence, relations between capital and labour and the movement of people.

---

The slow retreat of the British empire in the century after the First World War has had dramatic implications for Britain itself, its former colonies and the global balance of power.

The Transformation and Decline of the British Empire provides a broad-ranging and accessible introduction to the key debates and discussions about this process of imperial decline. Drawing on the lively scholarship which has developed over the last 25 years, it offers both new students and established scholars a guide to the existing literature on British decolonisation, including subjects such as the rise of anti-colonialism, the impact of empire on British politics and culture, the significance of migration, the wars and insurgencies which accompanied the end of empire and the role which capital and labour played in imperial decline. Mawby also examines the way in which the historiography has developed through conversations and debates between scholars, the impact which present day concerns have on historical writing, the significance of new documentary findings and the impact of theoretical considerations on current controversies.