The end of the European empires undoubtedly stands as the major
transformation of the twentieth-century world. Most momentous,
perhaps, was that of the British empire, which had combined the largest
area of direct rule with the greatest sphere of informal power. Reflecting
on the vivid controversies about the nature, causes, pace and extent of
British decolonisation, this study analyses the long history of the end of
the British empire, from the Treaty of Versailles to the Sino-British
Treaty for the handover of Hong Kong. Beyond the high tide of
independences, late ends of empire and remaining colonial outposts are
crucial to understand the dynamics of British decolonisation, as are the
early transformations of the white Commonwealth and the multiple
forms of anti-colonial protest across the interwar empire. The history of
British decolonisation is one of crossroads and encounters-theoretical,
historical and geographical. It is about individual men and women across
societies, international relations and transnational networks, structural
changes and constraints, negotiations, repression and armed conflicts,
and the (re)definition of the nation in the domestic and international
spheres. From India to Belize, Vanuatu to Zimbabwe, Malaya to Britain
itself, the study of decolonisation demonstrates the achievements, limits
and ambiguities of colonial liberation in the twentieth century.
