Mehr lesen
Inhaltsverzeichnis
- Preface
- Prologue
- PART I: Oceania Overview
- 1: 'Imperialism, as such, is a newly coined word': Empire and Oceania
- 2: 'The task of "Empire un-building" is a difficult one': Decolonization
- 3: 'Britain's withdrawal east of Suez is also a withdrawal west of Panama': End of Empire in the Pacific: when, why, and how?
- PART II: Holding On
- 4: 'A dramatic and liberal gesture': Attlee's Secret Smaller Territories Enquiry, 1949-51
- 5: 'Limbo', 'mezzanine status' or 'independence minus': Self-government within the Commonwealth in the 1950s
- 6: 'Something of a profit and loss account': Macmillan's Audit of Empire, 1957-59
- PART III: Letting Go
- 7: 'The Cold War Front is advancing upon Oceania': Pressures at the United Nations, 1960-61
- 8: 'To Complete the process of decolonization as soon as possible': Responses to the UN Declaration on Colonialism, 1962-65
- 9: 'Coming to the most difficult period of decolonization': The Lady Margaret Hall Conference, 1965
- 10: 'A line would have to be drawn': The paradox of the expanding United Nations, 1965-70
- PART IV: Winding Up
- 11: 'For us the British Empire is past history': Towards a retreat from 'Never-land': Tonga and Fiji, 1970
- 12: 'Independence and self-government have the same value': Self-determination for Niue, 1970-74
- 13: 'It is more blessed to go than be pushed': The 1973 Programme Analysis and Review
- 14: 'To encourage Australia and New Zealand to take a larger share': The Anzac role in decolonization
- 15: 'Liquidating colonial arrangements with as much speed as possible': Accelerated decolonization: (1) Solomon Islands
- 16: 'We cannot now apply the brakes': Accelerated decolonization: (2) Gilbert and Ellice Islands
- 17: 'The most difficult pre-independence conference we have had for a Pacific territory': Accelerated decolonization: (3) Kiribati and Banaba
- 18: 'The dying art of decolonization is difficult to pursue in a Condominium': Accelerated decolonization: (4) New Hebrides
- Epilogue
- Bibliography
Über den Autor / die Autorin
W. David McIntyre was educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge, the University of Washington, Seattle, and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. After teaching for the Universities of Maryland, British Columbia, and Nottingham, he became Professor of History at the University of Canterbury New Zealand between 1966 and 1997. As Honorary Special Correspondent of The New Zealand International Review he reported on Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings from 1987 to 2011.
Zusammenfassung
The first detailed account - based on recently-opened archives - of when, how, and why the British Government changed its mind about giving independence to the Pacific Islands.
Zusatztext
The account persuasively presented is that while British governments of all colours may have resented external demands for decolonisation, they were not at all seeking to hang on to 'assets' as long as possible, for few could be discerned. For policymakers in London (and indeed in Australia and New Zealand, whose governments also had Pacific island responsibilities, which this book also addresses) the problem became how to decolonise in the region not whether to decolonise
