Vietnam and the Unravelling of Empire - by T Smith (Paperback)

About the Book

"Vietnam and the Unravelling of Empire examines the British management of political violence at the end of the Second World War. In doing so, the book demonstrates the way in which the Vietnam War and Indian independence had a devastating effect upon British policy towards Asia. The Labour government failed to understand the complexity of its commitments and it was unable to evolve a coherent policy towards these crises. At the same time, some senior British officers were prepared to work alongside Asian nationalism in order to secure British interests. Their actions created a radical local fusion of imperial, diplomatic and humanitarian policies. The most controversial of these officers was General Sir Douglas Gracey who commanded the British liberation forces deployed in southern Indo-China at the outbreak of the Vietnam War and later served as the Commander in Chief of the Pakistan Army during the Kashmir Conflict"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

The Vietnam War and Indian independence devastated British policy towards Asia. The Labour Government failed to understand its commitments. Yet some senior British officers were prepared to work alongside Asian nationalism in order to secure British interests. This created a radical local fusion of imperial, diplomatic and humanitarian policies.

About the Author

T.O. Smith is Associate Professor of History at Huntington University, USA, specialising in decolonisation and political violence in South and Southeast Asia. His previous publications include Britain and the Origins of the Vietnam War: UK Policy in Indo-China 1943-50 (2007) and Churchill, America and Vietnam, 1941-45 (2011). He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.