"Britain and Empire" fills a major gap in the literature on Britain's gradual abandonment of her global and imperial role. It relates formal decolonization and the wider evolution of the Commonwealth to changes in international relations and in Britain's domestic political, economic and social scene. The concept of imperial decline is therefore seen in the context of adjustment to changing international and domestic politics and the ending of the imperial mind-set. Based on access to new documentary sources, this book makes an important contribution which will prove of great interest to students and general readers alike.