Capitalism and nationalism at the end of empire : state and business in decolonizing Egypt, Nigeria, and Kenya, 1945-1963 / Robert L. Tignor.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: Perspectives on Decolonization -- Pt. 1. Egypt. Ch. 1. Egypt, 1945-1952. Ch. 2. Contradictions in a Mixed Economy, 1952-1956. Ch. 3. Prelude to the Nationalizations: Case Studies of Business-Military Tensions, 1952-1956. Ch. 4. The Rupture, 1956-1961. Ch. 5. Enlarging the Public Sector, 1956-1961 -- Pt. 2. Nigeria. Ch. 6. The Political Economy of Nigeria and the Great Debates, 1945-1951. Ch. 7. The Vision Undermined, 1951-1956. Ch. 8. The Road to Independence, 1957-1960 -- Pt. 3. Kenya. Ch. 9. Development and the Kenyan Private Sector, 1945-1952. Ch. 10. Mau Mau and the Private Sector, 1952-1959. Ch. 11. Stemming the Flight of Capital, 1960-1963. Conclusion: Themes and Variations.

The two decades that followed World War II witnessed the end of the great European empires in Asia and Africa. Robert Tignor's new study of the decolonization experiences of Egypt, Nigeria, and Kenya elucidates the major factors that led to the transfer of power from British to African hands in these three territories.

Employing a comparative method in order to explain the different decolonizing narratives in each territory, he argues that the different state polices toward the private business sector and foreign capital were the result of nationalist policies and attitudes and the influence of Cold War pressures on local events.