Milner Last of the Empire-Builders - Richard Steyn

Alfred, Lord Milner was a brilliant public servant and one of Britains most celebrated or notorious empire-builders, who left an indelible imprint on the history of South Africa.

Sent to southern Africa to bring President Paul Krugers obstreperous Boers to heel, Milner was primarily, though not solely, responsible for the Anglo-Boer War (18991902), a conflict that marked the beginning of the end of the British Empire. In the aftermath of the war, a determined Milner set out to reconstruct the former Boer republics, but his policies stoked resentment among Afrikaners, particularly in respect of language and education. He left behind a coterie of young administrators, the so-called Kindergarten, who contributed significantly to the unification of South Africa and the fostering of imperial ideals through the Round Table Movement.

In this biography, the first by a South African, Richard Steyn argues that Milners reputation should not be defined by his eight years service in South Africa alone. Despite his controversial stance on the issue of Irish Home Rule, Milners legendary administrative ability made him the obvious choice for War Secretary in Lloyd Georges five-man War Cabinet, and Milner did much to shape the Allied victory in the First World War.

If his personal qualities and beliefs made him the wrong man to send to South Africa, where he failed to accomplish the over-ambitious goals he set himself, he was the right man in a far greater international conflict.

Author: Richard Steyn

Publisher: Jonathan Ball Publishers, 2022

Pages: 380

Dimensions: ± 23 cm x 15 cm

Softcover. Good condition. Binding intact.