The Ends of European Colonial Empires

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xii

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2. Introduction — The Ends of Empire: Chronologies, Historiographies, and Trajectories

   1. Introduction — The Ends of Empire: Chronologies, Historiographies, and Trajectories

      • Miguel Bandeira Jerónimo, António Costa Pinto

      Pages 1-11

3. Competing Developments: The Idioms of Reform and Resistance

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 13-13

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   2. Development, Modernization, and the Social Sciences in the Era of Decolonization: The Examples of British and French Africa

      • Frederick Cooper

      Pages 15-50

   3. A Modernizing Empire? Politics, Culture, and Economy in Portuguese Late Colonialism

      • Miguel Bandeira Jerónimo, António Costa Pinto

      Pages 51-80

   4. Commanders with or without Machine-Guns: Robert Delavignette and the Future of the French-African ‘Imperial Nation State’, 1956–58

      • Martin Shipway

      Pages 81-98

4. Comparing Endgames: The Modi Operandi of Decolonization

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 99-99

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   2. Imperial Endings and Small States: Disorderly Decolonization for the Netherlands, Belgium, and Portugal

      • Crawford Young

      Pages 101-125

   3. Myths of Decolonization: Britain, France, and Portugal Compared

      • Bruno Cardoso Reis

      Pages 126-147

   4. Exporting Britishness: Decolonization in Africa, the British State and Its Clients

      • Sarah Stockwell

      Pages 148-177

   5. Acceptable Levels? The Use and Threat of Violence in Central Africa, 1953–64

      • Philip Murphy

      Pages 178-196

5. Confronting Internationals: The (Geo)Politics of Decolonization

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 197-197

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   2. Inside the Parliament of Man: Enuga Reddy and the Decolonization of the United Nations

      • Ryan Irwin

      Pages 199-217

   3. Lumumba and the 1960 Congo Crisis: Cold War and the Neo-Colonialism of Belgian Decolonization

      • John Kent

      Pages 218-242

   4. The International Dimensions of Portuguese Colonial Crisis

      • Luís Nuno Rodrigues

      Pages 243-267

6. Last Days of Empire

   1. Last Days of Empire

      • John Darwin

      Pages 268-277

7. Back Matter

   Pages 278-288

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This volume provides a multidimensional assessment of the diverse ends of the European colonial empires, addressing different geographies, taking into account diverse chronologies of decolonization, and evaluating the specificities of each imperial configuration under appreciation (Portuguese, Belgian, French, British, Dutch).

• Decolonization
• colonialism
• imperialism
• colonial empires
• comparative history
• Africa
• chronology
• cities
• colonization
• decolonisation
• decolonization
• empire
• Europe
• historiography
• history
• nation
• resistance

'In this collection two ambitious Portuguese scholars assemble an impressive cast of contributors to rethink the demise - or reconfiguration - of European power in Africa. Eschewing morality plays and polemics for historical analysis, the authors add nuance and complexity to the decolonization, the most important phenomenon of 20th century history - making their book essential reading for the growing number of students interested in this crucial topic.'

David C. Engerman, Brandeis University, USA

'It is perhaps surprising that decolonisation has remained stubbornly resistant to theorisation. Comparative analysis offers a means to redress things, making this collection especially valuable to researchers and students alike. Interrogating the meanings of decolonisation, its local and global implications, and its material consequences both foreseen and unforeseen, the essays in this collection complement one another well.'

Martin Thomas, University of Exeter, UK

'With a range from the 1940s to the 1970s and beyond, the selection of distinguished and innovative younger historians guide the reader through conceptual issues in a way that is consistently compelling. The individual chapters are integrated into an overall, coherent account of a critical period in world history. A vital read for all those interested in the dissolution of the European colonial empires and the aftermath of decolonization.'

Wm. Roger Louis, University of Texas, USA

• Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon, Portugal

  Miguel Bandeira Jerónimo, António Costa Pinto

Frederick Cooper, New York University, USA Martin Shipway, Birkbeck, University of London, UK Crawford Young, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA Bruno Cardoso Reis, Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon, Portugal Sarah Stockwell, King's College London, UK Philip Murphy, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, UK Ryan Irwin, University at Albany, USA Luís Nuno Rodrigues, ISCTE, University Institute of Lisbon, Portugal John Kent, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK John Darwin, Oxford University, UK

Policies and ethics