Fight or Flight: Britain, France, and their Roads from Empire
- ISBN-10
- 0191664081
- ISBN-13
- 9780191664083
- Series
- Fight Or Flight
- Category
- History
- Pages
- 640
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2014-03-13
- Publisher
- OUP Oxford
- Author
- Martin Thomas
Description
Although shattered by war, in 1945 Britain and France still controlled the world's two largest colonial empires, with imperial territories stretched over four continents. And they appeared determined to keep them: the roll-call of British and French politicians, soldiers, settlers and writers who promised in word and print at this time to defend their colonial possessions at all costs is a long one. Yet, within twenty years both empires had almost completely disappeared. The collapse was cataclysmic. Peaceable 'transfers of power' were eclipsed by episodes of territorial partition and mass violence whose bitter aftermath still lingers. Hundreds of millions across four continents were caught up in the biggest reconfiguration of the international system ever seen. In the meantime, even the most dogged imperialists, who had once stiffly defended imperial rule, ultimately bent to the wind of change. By the early 1950s Winston Churchill had retreated from his wartime pledge to keep Britain's Empire intact. And General de Gaulle, who quit the French presidency in 1946 complaining that France's new post-war democracy would never hang on to the country's imperial prizes, narrowly escaped assassination a generation later - after negotiating the humiliating French withdrawal from Algeria. Fight or Flight is the first ever comparative account of this dramatic collapse, explaining the end of the British and French colonial empires as an intertwined, even co-dependent process. Decolonization gathered momentum, not as an empire-specific affair, but as a global one, in which the wider march of twentieth-century history played a vital part: industrial concentration and global depression, World War and Cold War, Communism and other anti-colonial ideologies, mass consumerism and the allure of American popular culture. Above all, as Martin Thomas shows, the internationalization of colonial affairs made it impossible to contain colonial problems locally, spelling the end for Europe's two largest colonial empires in less than two decades from the end of the Second World War.
Get the book
Other editions
Similar books
-
Fight Or Flight
By Samantha Young"The universe is conspiring against Ava Breevort.
-
Fight or Flight: The Ultimate Book for Understanding and Managing Stress
By Gary R. PlafordThis book initially explains stress, what happens within us, the relationship between stress and emotional intelligence, the four conditions that cause stress, how the brain works under stress, and the relationship between stress and ...
-
Stone Star Volume 1: Fight or Flight
By Jim ZubStone Star is an action-adventure spectacle bursting with colorful characters and pulse-pounding action! Grab your weapons, gritters, and join the fray! Collects the original digital series Stone Star #1-#5 in print for the first time.
-
Fight NOT Flight:the Key to Stopping Anxiety: Also a Powerful Solution for PTSD, OCD and PHOBIAS
By Boyd BrentAlso included in this edition: Fight NOT Flight: The Key to Preventing Panic AttacksMost people are aware of the fight or flight response.
-
Fight Or Flight
By Geoffrey ReganBy the second day men's mouths were literally black with dryness from fear . Not just a few of them , but all of them . Their faces were black with soot . Their eyes were inflamed from the smoke , from the sun and , also , from fear.98 ...
-
The Musician's Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness
By Gerald KlicksteinIn The Musician's Way, veteran performer and educator Gerald Klickstein combines the latest research with his 30 years of professional experience to provide aspiring musicians with a roadmap to artistic excellence.
-
Fight Or Flight?: Mastering Problems of Everyday Life
By Beatrix HughesDescribes common causes of stress, considers depression, anxiety, worry, phobias, and shyness, and gives advice on facing and handling stress related problems
-
Fight Or Flight
By Penelope DyanTo further enhance the learning experience, there is a fun music video to go along with this book on the Bellissimavideo YouTube channel.
-
Keith Earls: Fight Or Flight: My Life
By Keith EarlsKeith Earls: Fight Or Flight: My Life
-
Pathways to Fight or Flight: A Novel
By Rosa Mae CarrierOverview coming soon...