The Strange Death of the Liberal Empire : Lord Selborne in South Africa

Combining political biography with a study of imperialism, this is an examination of Lord Selborne's career as High Commissioner for South Africa from 1905 to 1910.

The author aims to provide a clearer understanding of British imperial policy and of a crucial period in South African history.

He examines Selborne's conception of empire and, by implication, the nature of British imperialism, focusing on the Chinese labour controversy, the self-government issue, the development of racial segregation, and the creation of the Union of South Africa. The book also offers a reassessment of the role which the imperial factor played in shaping the state, economy and society of 20th-century South Africa.

Behind the debate over imperial policy, Torrance argues, were deep and bitter divisions inextricably linked to domestic tensions within Britain itself.