Covering a vital period in the history of Central Africa, this work examines the growth of nationalist violence in Nyasaland, the declaration of the State of Emergency and the repercussions of the Devlin Commission at home and abroad. Based on correspondence and interviews with surviving officials, the author details the events of 1959 that hastened moves to independence across the whole continent. The book examines the bitter power struggles in the British House of Commons and House of Lords, the deep splits in the ruling Conservative party and the heated rows between the Prime Minister and the governor of Nyasaland.

Colin Baker is research professor in the University of Glamorgan and specialises in the political and governmental history of Nyasaland and Malawi. He has written widely on his subject and has published six titles with I.B.Tauris.