The end of the European empires undoubtedly stands as the major

transformation of the twentieth-century world. Most momentous,

perhaps, was that of the British empire, which had combined the largest

area of direct rule with the greatest sphere of informal power. Reflecting

on the vivid controversies about the nature, causes, pace and extent of

British decolonisation, this study analyses the long history of the end of

the British empire, from the Treaty of Versailles to the Sino-British

Treaty for the handover of Hong Kong. Beyond the high tide of

independences, late ends of empire and remaining colonial outposts are

crucial to understand the dynamics of British decolonisation, as are the

early transformations of the white Commonwealth and the multiple

forms of anti-colonial protest across the interwar empire. The history of

British decolonisation is one of crossroads and encounters-theoretical,

historical and geographical. It is about individual men and women across

societies, international relations and transnational networks, structural

changes and constraints, negotiations, repression and armed conflicts,

and the (re)definition of the nation in the domestic and international

spheres. From India to Belize, Vanuatu to Zimbabwe, Malaya to Britain

itself, the study of decolonisation demonstrates the achievements, limits

and ambiguities of colonial liberation in the twentieth century.