Arguing about Empire' analyses the most divisive arguments about empire between Europe's two leading colonial powers from the age of high imperialism to the post-war era of decolonization. Focusing on the domestic contexts underlying imperial rhetoric, Arguing about Empire adopts a case-study approach, treating key imperial debates as historical episodes to be investigated in depth. The episodes in question have been selected both for their chronological range, their variety, and, above all, their vitriol. Some were straightforward disputes; others involved cooperation in tense circumstances.

Introduction: arguing about empire -- Tunisia, 1881 -- Egypt, 1882 -- Fashoda, 1898 -- The rhetoric of the Moroccan crises, 1905-1911 -- The Chanak Crisis, 1922 -- World war as imperial crisis, I: changing partners, 1939-41 -- World war as imperial crisis, II: allies in conflict, 1941-5 -- Suez, 1956 -- Conclusion.