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Fight or flight: Britain, France, and their Roads from Empire
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 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 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.
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 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.
560 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2014
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About the author
Martin Thomas
93 books8 followersDr. Martin Thomas is a British historian and academic. He studied Modern History at Oxford University, graduating in 1985. He returned to Oxford for his graduate studies, earning his doctoral degree (D.Phil.) in 1991.
Professor Thomas began his academic career in 1992 at the University of the West of England (Bristol). In 2003 he accepted a post in the history department of the University of Exeter. He is also the director of the Centre for the Study of War, State and Society.
Professor Thomas is considered one of the leading academic specialists on French colonial history, colonial intelligence & security services, and the history of decolonisation.
Professor Thomas began his academic career in 1992 at the University of the West of England (Bristol). In 2003 he accepted a post in the history department of the University of Exeter. He is also the director of the Centre for the Study of War, State and Society.
Professor Thomas is considered one of the leading academic specialists on French colonial history, colonial intelligence & security services, and the history of decolonisation.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 28, 2024
This is my second large scale book on empire in the post WWII world in the past month (this has more to do with the vagaries of acquiring copies of books from the library then my reading preferences - but I am not complaining - good library resources are too rare) - first was Derek Leebaert's excellent 'The World After the War..…' which knocked on the head the idea that there was any king of agreed immediate retreat from empire and hand-over of responsibility to the USA (and certainly no desire on the part of the USA to encourage UK withdrawal let alone any desire to assume it's responsibilities and commitments) and now Mr. Thomas's book which examines the responses of Britain and France to empire after the war and the strategies they adopted - fight or flight. It is not a pretty picture and a salutary reminder of the shame empire is for all involved - it invariably corrupted all involved and the truth of what happened, particularly as empire was surrendered, was buried under a obfuscatory mound of self-serving lies and excuses.
A very thought provoking, if depressing, chronicle of the UK and France overseas.
A very thought provoking, if depressing, chronicle of the UK and France overseas.
November 9, 2020
Finally! I didn't think I would ever finish it. This book actually deserves 3½ stars, maybe even 3¾ stars. Given the scope of the history Professor Thomas attempted to cover with this work, it would have been a credible try even if it had turned out considerably worse.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews