Description
Book SynopsisThe two decades that followed World War II witnessed the end of the great European empires in Asia and Africa. Robert Tignor''s new study of the decolonization experiences of Egypt, Nigeria, and Kenya elucidates the major factors that led to the transfer of power from British to African hands in these three territories. Employing a comparative method in order to explain the different decolonizing narratives in each territory, he argues that the different state policies toward the private business sector and foreign capital were the result of nationalist policies and attitudes and the influence of Cold War pressures on local events.
Using business records as well as official government sources, the work highlights the economic aspects of decolonization and weighs the influence of nationalist movements, changes in metropolitan attitudes toward the empire, and shifts in the international balance of power in bringing about the transfer of authority. The author concludes that the
Table of Contents
AcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsIntroduction: Perspectives on Decolonization3Pt. 1EgyptCh. 1Egypt, 1945-195227Ch. 2Contradictions in a Mixed Economy, 1952-195662Ch. 3Prelude to the Nationalizations: Case Studies of Business-Military Tensions, 1952-195696Ch. 4The Rupture, 1956-1961114Ch. 5Enlarging the Public Sector, 1956-1961157Pt. 2NigeriaCh. 6The Political Economy of Nigeria and the Great Debates, 1945-1951195Ch. 7The Vision Undermined, 1951-1956230Ch. 8The Road to Independence, 1957-1960261Pt. 3KenyaCh. 9Development and the Kenyan Private Sector, 1945-1952293Ch. 10Mau Mau and the Private Sector, 1952-1959327Ch. 11Stemming the Flight of Capital, 1960-1963351Conclusion: Themes and Variations387Bibliographical Note401Index405
