Capitalism and nationalism at the end of empire : state and business in decolonizing Egypt, Nigeria, and Kenya, 1945-1963 / Robert L. Tignor.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Tignor, Robert L.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Capital--Africa--History.

Capital.

Industrial policy--Africa--History.

Industrial policy.

Nationalism--Africa.

Nationalism.

History.

Africa.

Africa--Economic conditions--1945-1960.

Economic conditions.

Africa--Colonial influence.

Colonial influence.

Physical Description:

viii, 419 pages ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, [1998]

Summary:

The 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 business communities did not play decisive roles, adhering instead to their time-honored role of leaving political issues to colonial officials and their nationalist critics. Tignor also finds that the nationalist movements, far from being ineffective, largely realized the primary goals of nationalist leaders that had been articulated for many decades.

Contents:

Introduction: Perspectives on Decolonization 3

Pt. 1 Egypt

Ch. 1 Egypt, 1945-1952 27

Ch. 2 Contradictions in a Mixed Economy, 1952-1956 62

Ch. 3 Prelude to the Nationalizations: Case Studies of Business-Military Tensions, 1952-1956 96

Ch. 4 The Rupture, 1956-1961 114

Ch. 5 Enlarging the Public Sector, 1956-1961 157

Pt. 2 Nigeria

Ch. 6 The Political Economy of Nigeria and the Great Debates, 1945-1951 195

Ch. 7 The Vision Undermined, 1951-1956 230

Ch. 8 The Road to Independence, 1957-1960 261

Pt. 3 Kenya

Ch. 9 Development and the Kenyan Private Sector, 1945-1952 293

Ch. 10 Mau Mau and the Private Sector, 1952-1959 327

Ch. 11 Stemming the Flight of Capital, 1960-1963 351

Conclusion: Themes and Variations 387.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0691015848

OCLC:

36807529