Britain, Kenya And The Cold War ─ Imperial Defence, Colonial Security And Decolonization

In the 20 years after the Second World War, Great Britain found itself in a curious and delicate situation. Its colonies were gaining independence at a rapid clip, often through violence, but a former ally challenged its hegemony, identity, security and sovereignty, so the rules of imperialism still applied. Nowhere was this more evident than in Kenya, to which Britain had a long and emotional attachment. Percox examines the British postwar defense and internal security policy in Kenya, including the largely neglected periods before the declaration of a State of Emergency there in 1952 and after the apparent British military victory over the Mau Mau in 1956. He finds that the Cold War and other factors made Britain turn to pragmatism rather than dogmatism, resulting in reactive rather than proactive behaviors. Distributed by Palgrave. Annotation c2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)