Imperialism in the twentieth century PDF
Preview Imperialism in the twentieth century
Imperialism in the Twentieth Century This page intentionally left blank IMPERIALISM in the TWENTIETH CENTURY by A. P. THORNTON UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA PRESS D MINNEAPOLIS Copyright © 1977 by the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Published by the University of Minnesota Press, 2037 University Avenue Southeast, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414 Second printing 1980 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 77-81211 ISBN 0-8166-0993-4 . . . and, whosoever considers that the nature of men, especially of men in authority, is inclined rather to commit two errors than to retract one, will not marvel that from this root of unadvisedness, so many and tall branches of mischief have proceeded. CLARENDON This page intentionally left blank ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 'iters are unable to acknowledge whatever knowledge they W ave no recollection of having acquired: accordingly, this te does not adequately thank all those in my life and friendship who have so markedly helped my thinking and myself. The generous leave policy of the University of Toronto made it pos- sible for me to begin this book, and its research funds to complete it. The University of Edinburgh gave me the use of its splendid library, and I owe much to the kindliness, which many others also know, of George Shepperson. My friend James Conacher, chairman of the department of history at the University of Toronto, generously and doubtless quite improperly gave me some respite from departmental duties while I was in labor. William C. Berman cast a sternly helpful eye upon my fifth chapter. Cecile Sydney typed the manuscript, but did more: her diligence and intelligence signally added to its clarity. I have also greatly appreciated the editorial skill of Victoria Haire of the University of Minnesota Press and the continuous sup- port of John Ervin, Jr., its director, and William Wood. But I hardly need to make the point, standard but seldom sincere, that all faults in this book are my own. On page 7, I say that no book is ever written without conditions of quiet. Only a writer's wife knows what those conditions cost — and to mine, I dedicate this book. 1 July 1977 University College, University of Toronto vn This page intentionally left blank FOREWORD Inthe nineteenth century Sir Archibald Alison filled fifteen vol- umes with a narrative account of events in Europe between 1789 and 1815, and followed these with another ten, bringing the story to 1852 —and even after this prodigious achievement would of- ten tell his friends how much he regretted having left out. This single volume could not try and does not try to provide an in-depth ac- count of the past seventy-seven years. Instead, it develops a single theme from these years: the theme of imperialism, hereafter de- fined. It examines how the policies of imperialism were organized, and by whom. It sets out how imperialists saw the way of the world and how they gathered its public affairs into a framework of their own devising. It tells what assertions were made against them, and how they dealt with these. It shows how they developed no new strategy in the face of this challenge and how as a direct consequence they watched the moral initiative pass to the dissidents, usually called nationalists, who based their case on liberal principles like self-determination, which were often preached but not as often practiced among them. It discusses the ideas and the tactics of the spokesmen for these dissidents, who spent the years between the two world wars attaining credibility, durability, and, ultimately, a national following. ix
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