Helpless imperialists

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Up to now, the Age of High Imperialism (1850-1950) has been seen as a period characterized by the unchallenged economic, technological and military superiority of European colonial powers. This volume, however, highlights another, far less studied aspect of this era, namely, the empires' frustration, vulnerability and anxiety in pursuit of their imperial goals. The chapters of this book deal with the relationship between failing colonial ventures and the loss of imperial control on the one side, and overcompensation and the turn towards excessively violent methods of rule on the other