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Within 20 years of victory in World War II, Britain had ceased to be a world power and her global empire had dissolved into fragments. With what now seems astonishing rapidity, an empire three centuries old which had reached its greatest extent as late as 1921 was transformed into more than 50 sovereign states. Why did this great transformation come about? Had Britain simply become too weak in a world of superpowers? Had the pressure of colonial nationalism suddenly become overwhelming? Or had the British themselves decided that they no longer needed an empire, and that their interests were better served by joining the rich man's club of Europe? In this short book, these and other theories are examined critically. The aim is not to present a detailed narrative of Britain's imperial retreat, but to introduce the reader to the current state of debate in a rapidly expanding subject.