Lord Hailey, the Colonial Office and the politics of race and empire in the Second World War : the loss of white prestige

the colour bar is at present a necessity'. 5 By the end of the war, however, the victorious Allied powers agreed to a Charter for the new United Nations Organization that included a clause enshrining the right to racial equality. This book deals with the transformation in the thinking of British policy-makers on the race question, and the events which forced that rethinking. In particular, it seeks to show how the emergence within the British establishment of a non-racial presentation of relations between Britain and the colonial empire was a response to the problem of defending that empire during the Second World War. Chapter 1 introduces and situates the themes of the book by briefly reviewing the academic literature on the relation of the Second World War and the race question, by explaining the usefulness of following Lord Hailey's contribution to the wartime discussion of the problem, and by discussing some of the prewar trends that were to assume importance during the war. x Lord Hailey Chapter 2 considers the impact of Britain's defeat by the Japanese in 1941-2 on the way in which colonial policy was perceived, and the reinterpretation of the role of colonial administration that resulted. Chapter 3 investigates how the experience of the American practice of race segregation impinged on British domestic politics, particularly the way that British resentment of the GIs emboldened the Colonial Office to take a clearer line on the problem of the colour bar. Chapter 4 focuses on the 1942 conference at the Institute of Pacific Relations and on how Lord Hailey used his experience to defend the British Empire in the face of American criticism. Chapter 5 outlines the themes which British officials developed during the war to establish a new language of authority and superiority. Finally, the conclusion assesses the significance that this wartime story has for our understanding of how racial thinking changes in specific historical circumstances. This book is based on my doctoral thesis. My supervisor, Professor Terence Ranger, showed uncalled-for faith when he took me on with my optimistic and overly ambitious plans. I hope this work has not proved too disappointing. Meanwhile, his work, both political and academic, continues to inspire me, as it does so many others. His ability to be precise, lucid and critical is a model for me and has undoubtedly contributed to the success of the asylum seekers' charity that he and his wife, Shelagh, began. We talked of Campsfield House, Home Office policy and the detention of refugees today almost as much as of the attitude of the Colonial Office fifty years ago. The Twentieth Century Posed Great Challenges For British Foreign Policy. How Effectively Did Policymakers Cope With Change And Decline? Were They As Pragmatic As They Claimed? Are There Identifiable Patterns Of Success And Failure? Peter Mangold Seeks To Answer These Questions In This New Thematic Account Of British Foreign Policy Between 1900 And 2000. Issues Covered Include Imperial Overstretch, The Reluctance To Engage Militarily And Politically With Continental Europe, Alliance Management, The Role Of Force, Loss Of Great Power Status, And Britain's Impact On The International System. The Final Chapter Considers Prospects For The Twenty-first Century.--jacket. 1. The Scope Of The Possible -- 2. Ends Beyond Means -- 3. The Limits Of Pragmatism -- 4. Kinds Of Allies -- 5. The Strategic Dimension -- 6. The Sound Barrier -- 7. International Impact -- 8. Patterns And Prognoses -- App. I. Outline Chronology, Main Events Relating To British Foreign Policy, 1900-2000 -- App. Ii. British Foreign Secretaries, 1900-2001. Peter Mangold. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 219-233) And Index. This book examines the response of the British Colonial Office to the collapse of belief in racial superiority in the Second World War, and with it the ideological basis of empire. Suke Wolton studies the debate between the Colonial Office and the American State Department over the reformulation of Western authority in the colonial world that followed the fall of Singapore to the Japanese in 1942. British officials, led by Lord Hailey, countered American criticisms of Empire by drawing attention to America's own practice of segregation. In the process, Hailey pioneered new, non-racial justifications for imperial rule. In particular, this work identifies the twin themes of promoting economic development and keeping the peace between divided colonial peoples, which emerged from the debate as the new grounds for imperial authority. These are themes that retain a powerful resonance in the contemporary discussions of North-South relations "The twentieth century posed great challenges for British foreign policy. How effectively did policymakers cope with change and decline? Were they as pragmatic as they claimed? Are there identifiable patterns of success and failure?". "Peter Mangold seeks to answer these questions in this new thematic account of British foreign policy between 1900 and 2000. Issues covered include imperial overstretch, the reluctance to engage militarily and politically with continental Europe, alliance management, the role of force, loss of Great Power status, and Britain's impact on the international system. The final chapter considers prospects for the twenty-first century."--BOOK JACKET. This is an examination of the response of British policy makers to the collapse of belief in racial superiority, and with it the ideological basis of empire, following the fall of Singapore in 1942. The book studies the Anglo American debate in which British officials, led by Lord Hailey, countered American criticisms of imperial rule by emphasizing economic development and peace keeping as new, non-racial justifications for western authority. These are themes that have retained a powerful resonance in the post-war world A growing interest in political Islam has assumed significant ideological and intellectual dimensions, especially in recent years. Rather than viewing the issue as Islam versus the rest, or tradition against modernity, this volume acknowledges the mutualities without overlooking the tensions. It centers on issues such as the Rushdie affair, conflictive pluralism in South Asia and Islam's links with the Kashmir dispute, the Iranian revolution, civil war in Afghanistan, and western public diplomacy. "This book gives an economic perspective to the analysis of deforestation. Following a survey of different deforestation definitions, theories and empirical evidence, a case-study of Ecuador provides a versatile historical picture of factors influencing forest loss throughout different periods, regions and ecosystems."--BOOK JACKET. Front Matter....Pages i-xii Introduction....Pages 1-34 The Loss of White Prestige....Pages 35-64 The Question of Equal Treatment....Pages 65-93 Defending the Empire....Pages 94-118 Reformulating Imperial Authority....Pages 119-148 Conclusion....Pages 149-154 Back Matter....Pages 155-221