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To not reinstate the past: wartime optimism and planning for the British Solomon Islands protectorate

Campbell, Ian C. (2007) To not reinstate the past: wartime optimism and planning for the British Solomon Islands protectorate. The Journal of Pacific History, 42 (1). pp. 55-72. ISSN 0022-3344

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Abstract

Most interpretations stress a qualitative shift in colonial policy at the end of World War II, reflecting a major reorientation of outlook towards development, welfare and ultimately independence. There are, however, continuities before and after the war that call for a shift of emphasis. Because the British Solomon Islands Protectorate is conventionally represented as an extreme case of backwardness and severity before the war, it should present the putative contrast sharply. On the contrary, the pre-war administration field staff had aspirations for a more progressive regime, but these were thwarted by the protectorate's poverty and were shelved by the eruption of the war. The war-time destruction prompted administrators to consider afresh the problems of colonial development, coinciding with Colonial Office demands for post-war development submissions. Proposals proved too ambitious for the limited imperial purse, but even the attenuated plans proved unrealistic given the acute shortages of material and human resources. Thus, while 'post-war thinking' began well before the war, the era of 'post-war development' could not properly begin until several years after the end of the war.

Item Type: Journal Article
Subjects: D History General and Old World > D History (General)
Divisions: Faculty of Arts, Law and Education (FALE) > School of Social Sciences
Depositing User: Ms Mereoni Camailakeba
Date Deposited: 12 Jan 2007 01:07
Last Modified: 29 Aug 2012 02:46
URI: http://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/17
UNSPECIFIED

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