What Britain Did to Nigeria: A Short History of Conquest and Rule
Most accounts of Nigeria's colonisation were written by British officials, presenting it as a noble civilising mission to rid Africans of barbaric superstition and corrupt tribal leadership. Thanks to this skewed writing of history, many Nigerians today still have Empire nostalgia and view the colonial period through rose-tinted glasses.

Max Siollun offers a bold rethink: an unromanticised history, arguing compellingly that colonialism had few benevolent intentions, but many unjust outcomes. It may have ended slavery and human sacrifice, but it was accompanied by extreme violence; ethnic and religious identity were cynically exploited to maintain control, while the forceful remoulding of longstanding legal and social practices permanently altered the culture and internal politics of indigenous communities. The aftershocks of this colonial meddling are still being felt decades after independence. Popular narratives often suggest that the economic and political turmoil are homegrown, but the reality is that Britain created many of Nigeria's crises, and has left them behind for Nigerians to resolve.

This is a definitive, head-on confrontation with Nigeria's experience under British rule, showing how it forever changed the country—perhaps cataclysmically.
1137338298
What Britain Did to Nigeria: A Short History of Conquest and Rule
Most accounts of Nigeria's colonisation were written by British officials, presenting it as a noble civilising mission to rid Africans of barbaric superstition and corrupt tribal leadership. Thanks to this skewed writing of history, many Nigerians today still have Empire nostalgia and view the colonial period through rose-tinted glasses.

Max Siollun offers a bold rethink: an unromanticised history, arguing compellingly that colonialism had few benevolent intentions, but many unjust outcomes. It may have ended slavery and human sacrifice, but it was accompanied by extreme violence; ethnic and religious identity were cynically exploited to maintain control, while the forceful remoulding of longstanding legal and social practices permanently altered the culture and internal politics of indigenous communities. The aftershocks of this colonial meddling are still being felt decades after independence. Popular narratives often suggest that the economic and political turmoil are homegrown, but the reality is that Britain created many of Nigeria's crises, and has left them behind for Nigerians to resolve.

This is a definitive, head-on confrontation with Nigeria's experience under British rule, showing how it forever changed the country—perhaps cataclysmically.
18.95 In Stock
What Britain Did to Nigeria: A Short History of Conquest and Rule

What Britain Did to Nigeria: A Short History of Conquest and Rule

by Max Siollun
What Britain Did to Nigeria: A Short History of Conquest and Rule

What Britain Did to Nigeria: A Short History of Conquest and Rule

by Max Siollun

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$18.95 
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Overview

Most accounts of Nigeria's colonisation were written by British officials, presenting it as a noble civilising mission to rid Africans of barbaric superstition and corrupt tribal leadership. Thanks to this skewed writing of history, many Nigerians today still have Empire nostalgia and view the colonial period through rose-tinted glasses.

Max Siollun offers a bold rethink: an unromanticised history, arguing compellingly that colonialism had few benevolent intentions, but many unjust outcomes. It may have ended slavery and human sacrifice, but it was accompanied by extreme violence; ethnic and religious identity were cynically exploited to maintain control, while the forceful remoulding of longstanding legal and social practices permanently altered the culture and internal politics of indigenous communities. The aftershocks of this colonial meddling are still being felt decades after independence. Popular narratives often suggest that the economic and political turmoil are homegrown, but the reality is that Britain created many of Nigeria's crises, and has left them behind for Nigerians to resolve.

This is a definitive, head-on confrontation with Nigeria's experience under British rule, showing how it forever changed the country—perhaps cataclysmically.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781911723264
Publisher: Hurst
Publication date: 07/01/2024
Pages: 288
Sales rank: 237,298
Product dimensions: 5.13(w) x 7.80(h) x 1.22(d)

About the Author

Max Siollun is a historian and author who specializes in Nigeria's history. He has written some of the most acclaimed books on Nigeria's history, and has been described as standing "unchallenged, in contemporary times, as the Chronicler-in-Chief of the Nigerian military" by the Special Assistant on New Media to Nigeria's President Buhari, Tolu Ogunlesi.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix

Maps xii

Introduction 1

Part 1 The Pre-Colonial Era, 1472-1830

1 Trading People 7

2 Curiosity and Exploration 15

3 The Kings in the North and South 27

Part 2 Extraction and Trade, 1832-1886

4 Palm Oil Ruffians 45

5 Jaja of Opobo 51

6 Goldie 67

7 The Royal Niger Company 81

Part 3 Invasion and War, 1851-1920

8 Glovers Hausas 103

9 The South-West Invasion 119

10 The Invasion of Benin 127

11 Founders of Nigeria 145

12 The Northern Invasion 157

13 The South-East Invasion 177

Part 4 Resistance

14 The Northern Resistance 195

15 Ekumeku: The Silent Ones 211

16 The Women's Wars 229

Part 5 Cultural, Political and Religious Changes

17 The Crescent and the Cross 251

18 People of the Book 265

19 Indirect Rule 281

20 Colonial Life 299

21 The Mistake of 1914 319

22 Conclusion 327

Appendix 337

Notes 339

Bibliography 363

Index 373

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