Mizhuev, P.G.: History of the English Colonial Empire and Politics

Title

Istoriia kolonial’noi imperii i kolonial’noi politiki Anglii, Sankt-Peterburg 1902

History of the English Colonial Empire and Politics

Keywords

Summary

The essay is divided into thirteen chapters and a bibliography. The first chapter, entitled The significance of England’s colonial empire and the nature of the English colonial policy is intended as an overview of the question, presenting the reader with the thought of foreign experts like Henry C. Morris, Alfred Zimmermann, Paul Leroy-Beaulieu. Chapters 2-4 are devoted to North America, chapter 5 to Canada, chapter 6 to the West Indies, chapters 7-9 to Australia, chapters 10-11 to Africa, chapter 12 to India and Asia, while chapter 13 draws some conclusions on 19^th century colonial policy. As far as Africa is concerned, particular attention is devoted to South Africa, the rivalry between Holland and England (the latter of which is presented favourably), the process of putting an end to the slave trade. Mizhuev underlines that the poor circulation of Western sources about the Boers and the situation in Transvaal has misled the Russian public in taking the Boers’ side. The author then focuses on West and Central Africa, as well as British East Africa and Egypt. International relations between England and other imperial powers are dealt with. Among the author’s sources, those regarding Africa are E. Bryce, Impressions of South Africa, W. B. Worsfold, A History of South Africa, M. Kingsley, West African Studies, J. Keltie, The Partition of Africa, A. Silva White, The Expansion of Egypt, as well as works by Leroy-Beaulieu fils, Baker, Livingstone, Stanley and Junker.

Bio

Born in Sevastopol, Pavel Mizhuev was a former teacher and librarian, a scholar and a writer, one of the founders of Anglophone Studies in Russia. A professor at Saint Petersburg university, he was particularly interested in the political and colonial history of England, the parliamentary system, the social movements, and pedagogy. A prolific writer, he collaborated with several periodicals, including “Russkaia shkola” and “Pedagogicheskii sbornik”. A member of the Constitutional Democratic Party, he was arrested for a brief time after the 1917 revolution. Even though he was no longer employed by the university, he continued to publish until 1929.

Sources

N. Zinevich, “Mizhuev Pavel Grigor’evich”, in Pedagogicheskaia entsiklopediia, t. 2, ed. by I. Kairov, F. Petrov, Moskva 1965, p. 826;

I. Chikalova, Professor Pavel Grigor’evich Mizhuev: rossiiskii angloved i liberal, “Dialog so vremenem”, 2011, 34, p. 5-30.

 A.F.