Legacy of Empire

‘An incisive and thorough analysis … Thompson methodically describes how the British Empire allowed and assisted the colonisation of Palestine and in so doing planted the seeds for a conflict that still rages today.’ –Ilan Pappe, author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine

‘An illuminating account of both the emergence of Israel and of British policy during the three decades of the British Mandate in Palestine. It is a sobering and engrossing story of Britain’s betrayal of the Palestinians from the Balfour Declaration to the present day.’ –Avi Shlaim, author of The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World

‘Thompson examines how the settler-colonial Zionist project in Palestine is intertwined with the designs of imperial Britain. That such an issue can still be disputed is testimony to the power of ideology: Legacy of Empire cuts through the noise to show what really happened.’ –Gilbert Achcar, author of The Arabs and the Holocaust: The Arab-Israeli War of Narratives

‘Gardner Thompson throws a cool light on a very hot topic … This illuminating book is an essential primer on the historical roots of the Israel/Palestine conflict.’ –Nicholas Rankin, author of Churchill’s Wizards: the British Genius for Deception

‘An excellent, well-researched and timely book.’ –Nur Masalha, author of Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History

‘An eloquent account … Thompson has brought an unbiased historian’s eye to this inexplicable chapter of British and imperial history.’ –The Balfour Project

‘A meticulous account … there is much that readers can glean from Gardner Thompson’s book.’ –Middle East Monitor

‘A persuasive, if provocative, analysis … a welcome addition to existing literature on this subject … full of useful analysis’ –Jewish Renaissance

‘Compelling … meticulously researched’ –The Tablet

‘Legacy of Empire should be required reading for all those who seek to pronounce on this problematic subject’ –Socialist History Society

Gardner Thompson is a historian of British colonialism and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He earned a BA in History from Cambridge University, an MA in East African History and Politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and a PhD on British Colonial Rule in Uganda from London University. Thompson taught History in Uganda, and then in London where he was Head of the History Department and the Academic Vice-Principal at Dulwich College.