This book studies British anticolonialism, an offshoot of a massive global upsurge of sentiment which has dominated much of the history of the 20th century. This book surveys the attitudes and activities relating to colonial issues of British critics of Empire during the years of decolonisation. It also evaluates the changing ways in which, arising out of the experience of Empire and decolonisation, more general ideas about imperialism, nationalism, and underdevelopment were developed during these y ... More

This book studies British anticolonialism, an offshoot of a massive global upsurge of sentiment which has dominated much of the history of the 20th century. This book surveys the attitudes and activities relating to colonial issues of British critics of Empire during the years of decolonisation. It also evaluates the changing ways in which, arising out of the experience of Empire and decolonisation, more general ideas about imperialism, nationalism, and underdevelopment were developed during these years. The book's discussion encompasses both the left wing of the Labour Party and groups outside it: in the Communist Party, other independent left-wing groups, and single-issue campaigns. The book has contemporary relevance, for British reactions to more late 20th-century events — the Falklands and Gulf Wars, race relations, South African apartheid — cannot fully be understood except in the context of the experience of decolonisation and the legacy of Empire.