Whitehall and the Black Republic: A Study of Colonial Britain's Attitude Towards Liberia, 1914-1939

by Jyotirmoy Pal Chaudhuri

Overview

This book examines the history of the relationship between Liberia and Britain—the world’s first black republic, founded by former slaves, and the world’s strongest colonial power. Jyotirmoy Pal Chaudhuri excavates a wealth of archival sources to reconstruct a turbulent narrative spanning key points in twentieth-century Liberian history. Pal Chaudhuri argues that the Black Republic was never a serious item on the British agenda for constructive action in West Africa, as seen in the repeated failure of their concessionaires, their interference with the Firestone rubber project, and their efforts to have Liberia expelled from the League of Nations. Untangling the conflicts and contradictions between Britain’s colonial interests and humanitarian ideals, Whitehall and the Black Republic is a long overdue contribution to the history of Liberia and the British Empire.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030099619
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	12/21/2018
Series:	African Histories and Modernities
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2018
Pages:	279
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.03(d)

About the Author

Jyotirmoy Pal Chaudhuri is the author of numerous articles on African history and Liberian history. He is a former professor and history department chair at the University of Liberia and Cuttington University, Liberia, as well as the John Cadbury Fellow at the Centre of West African Studies, University of Birmingham, England.

Table of Contents

1. An Outline of the Past.- 2. The British Foreign Office and Liberian Neutrality during World War I.- 3. The Sequel to the Declaration of War.- 4. The British Reaction to the Firestone Investment in Liberia.- 5. The Fernando Po Labour Crisis of 1929–1930.- 6. The League of Nations Plan of Assistance.- 7. The British and the Unrest on the Kru Coast.- 8. An Improving Image Abroad 1934–1939.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Few scholars have published such meticulous research on Liberian history in book form. Jyotirmoy Pal Chaudhuri has crafted a serious account of a turbulent period when internal demands for incorporation were enmeshed in the politics and diplomacy of colonial imperialism, bringing to the fore a critical mass of modern-educated indigenous Liberians who were conscious of their marginalization and prepared to assert their rights within the ambit of the fledgling Liberian state. A singular contribution to the history of Liberia.” (Elwood Dunn, Alfred Walter Negley Professor Emeritus of Political Science, The University of the South, USA)