Small Wars, Far Away Places

Michael Burleigh

A trenchant and thought-provoking account of the death of empire by one of our finest historians

The collapse of Western colonial empires after the Second World War led to any number of vicious struggles for power whose bloody consequences haunt us still. Acclaimed historian Michael Burleigh's brilliant analytic skills and clear eye for common themes underpins this powerful account of those struggles.He takes us on a historical journey from Palestine to Pakistan, from Cuba to Indo-China and reframes mid-20th century history by forcing us to look away from the Cold War to the hot wars that continue to afflict us.The result is a dazzling work of history, which examines the death of colonialism with passion, insight and genuine understanding of what it feels like to be caught in the middle of realpolitik.

First published:: 2013
Published by:: Pan Macmillan
Length:: Hardcover 588 pages

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About the author

Michael Burleigh is a British author and historian. He was educated at University College London, winning the Pollard, Dolley and Sir William Mayer prizes. After a Ph.D in medieval history in 1982, he went on to hold posts at New College, Oxford, the London School of Economics, and University of Cardiff where he was Distinguished Research Professor in Modern History. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and his books have been translated into 13 languages. He has been married since 1991 to Linden Burleigh and currently resides in South East London.