Description
Book SynopsisWhy did Britain and Argentina go to war over a wintry archipelago that was home to an unprofitable colony? Could the Falklands War, in fact, have been a last-ditch revival of Britain''s imperial past? Despite widespread conjecture about the imperial dimensions of the Falklands War, this is the first history of the conflict from the transnational perspective of the British world. Taking Britain''s painful process of decolonisation as his starting point, Ezequiel Mercau shows how the Falklands lobby helped revive the idea of a ''British world'', transforming a minor squabble into a full-blown war. Boasting original perspectives on the Falklanders, the Four Nations and the Anglo-Argentines, and based on a wealth of unseen material, he sheds new light on the British world, Thatcher''s Britain, devolution, immigration and political culture. His findings show that neither the dispute, the war, nor its aftermath can be divorced from the ongoing legacies of empire.
Trade Review'This thoughtful and timely book will be read with interest by those wanting to understand the Falklands War and the legacies of Empire in Britain. Mercau shows the importance of an idea of a Greater Britain and how the 1982 Falklands War signalled its unravelling, opening questions about Britain's national identity that still persist.' Helen Parr, Keele University
'In this accomplished and engaging book, Mercau provides a penetrating analysis of the association between the Falkland Islands and empire. It is a skilful illumination of the continued purchase and contradictions of the idea of Greater Britain in the later twentieth century.' Sarah Stockwell, King's College London
'This is a deeply researched and highly original work which casts valuable new light on Britain's post-imperial condition in general and the Falklands War in particular. Essential reading.' Richard Toye, University of Exeter
'Mercau gives readers a valuable study of the power of obsolete ideas to drive current policies.' R. A. Callahan, Choice
'I found The Falklands War to be a comprehensive, well-researched contribution to military literature. This is a book that is highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the history of that conflict.' Mike Kennedy, eVeritas
'… a groundbreaking study of the Falklands War through the lens of British political culture. Mercau's book is a must-read for scholars and advanced students interested in the Falklands dispute and the complex history of British decolonization.' Paula O'Donnell, H-Net Reviews
'… the text is a groundbreaking study of the Falklands War through the lens of British political culture. Mercau's book is a must-read for scholars and advanced students interested in the Falklands dispute and the complex history of British decolonization.' Paula O'Donnell, H-War
Table of ContentsFigures; Maps; Acknowledgements; Note on terminology; Abbreviations; Introduction: the Falklands and the legacies of empire; 1. Adrift in the South Atlantic: the Falklands amid the turmoil of decolonisation; 2. 'Dream island': the long prelude to war; 3. 'Goodbye and the best of British': echoes of Greater Britain at the onset of war; 4. 'The ghost of imperial Britain': militarism and the memory of empire; 5. War of the British worlds: the Anglo-Argentines and the Falklands; 6. 'Beyond the quieting of the guns': the Falklands factor and the after-effects of war; Conclusion: the legacies of Greater Britain; Notes; Bibliography; Index.
