The British End of the British Empire

How did decolonization impact on Britain itself? And how did Britain manage its transition from colonial power to postcolonial nation? Sarah Stockwell explores this question principally via the history of the overseas engagements of key institutions that had acquired roles within Britain's imperial system: the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, the Bank of England, the Royal Mint, and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Using a huge range of fresh archival sources, the author shows how these institutions fashioned new roles at the end of empire, reconfiguring their activities for a postcolonial world and deploying their expertise to deliver technical assistance essential for the development of institutions in new Commonwealth states. This study not only pioneers an entirely new approach to the history of the British end of the British empire, but also provides an equally novel cross-sectoral analysis of institution-building during decolonization and highlights the colonial roots of British postcolonial aid.

1. The imperial roles of British institutions; 2. Technical assistance and state building at the end of empire; 3. Teaching what 'the natives need to know': the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and training for overseas public administration; 4. 'Education and propaganda': the Bank of England and the development of central banking in African states at the end of empire; 5. Making Money: the Royal Mint and British decolonization; 6. 'Losing an empire and winning friends': Sandhurst and British decolonization.

Sarah Stockwell is professor of imperial and Commonwealth history at King's College London, and a leading historian of British decolonization. Her publications include The Business of Decolonization: British Business Strategies in the Gold Coast (2000) and, as editor, The British Empire: Themes and Perspectives (2008).