Overview

In the nineteenth century, France embarked on the colonization of whole swathes of Africa and Asia. What drove this policy, and what methods did it use to establish and enforce French domination? What disruptive effects did this have on the colonized societies, and what did it mean for their economic and social development? Today, can we say they have been completely decolonized? Empire on the Cheap offers new answers to these ever-controversial questions. Drawing on extensive archival work and statistical analysis, Denis Cogneau offers a richly detailed description of the colonial states and how they functioned, with a particular focus on issues of taxation, military recruitment, capital flows and inequalities. He shows that the Empire cost France little until the wars of independence following World War II, and that capital from France did not trickle down to the colonies. The French Republic proclaimed its 'civilizing mission', but its rule did not lead to the development of the occupied countries, and instead established violent colonial regimes with ambiguous and sometimes conflicting goals. Such regimes mainly benefited a small minority of French colonists and capitalists. Yet, even after winning independence, nationalist elites in the former colonies most often maintained an authoritarian and deeply unequal state order. Examining both the evolution of the colonized societies and what has become of them after independence, Cogneau makes a major contribution to our understanding of imperialism, past and present.

Full Product Details

Author:   Denis Cogneau (Paris School of Economics (PSE), France) ,  David Broder
Publisher:   Polity Press
Imprint:   Polity Press
Dimensions:   Width: 16.30cm , Height: 4.90cm , Length: 23.80cm
Weight:   0.879kg
ISBN:  

9781509563333

ISBN 10:   1509563334
Pages:   528
Publication Date:   22 May 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Awaiting stock  

Table of Contents

Introduction Part I: The Beginnings of Empire 1 Before the Empire: The Factors Driving Colonial Conquest 2 Before the Empire: Economists and Capitalists 3 Before the Empire: Colonised Economies and Societies 4 The Early Days of Empire: Violence and its Consequences Part II: During the Empire 5 During the Empire: Frustrated Demands for Political Rights and the Rise of Nationalism 6 During the Empire: The Colonial State 7 During the Empire: Development and Inequality 8 During the Empire: Was the French Empire Different? Part III: The End of Empire and Beyond 9 The End of Empire: Independence Processes and the Final Balance-Sheet of Empire 10 After Empire: The Paths of Decolonisation General Conclusion Acknowledgements Notes References Index

Reviews

""For anyone interested in the significance of empire in world history or the historical origins of global inequality, Empire on the Cheap is essential reading. Denis Cogneau offers not only a penetrating economic analysis of colonization and decolonization, but a brilliant demonstration of the importance of the political in political economy."" Frederick Cooper, Professor Emeritus of African History, New York University ""In this quietly radical book, Denis Cogneau deftly dismantles the myth of empire as a grand extractive machine. He instead reveals a colonial system run on coercive frugality, unsettling the moral arithmetic of much recent imperial history."" Michael Goebel, Einstein Professor of Global History, Freie Universität Berlin ""A fascinating book on the history and political economy of French colonial Empire: who paid taxes, who benefited from spending and capital flows, and so on. A reference work, a must-read."" Thomas Piketty, École des hautes études en sciences sociales ""Denis Cogneau's state-of-the-art overview of the political economy and economic history of the Second French Empire combines meticulous archival research and statistical analysis with balanced judgement and clear writing. This is a magnificent contribution to the history of empire and colonialism (not least for comparison with the British Empire), and to the histories of Africa and Asia. The prompt translation into English edition, by David Broder, is most welcome."" Gareth Austin, University of Cambridge ""This book is an essential addition to the library of every economic historian – an authoritative reference in global history and a benchmark of rigorous quantitative and qualitative analysis of French colonialism. Prominently display it, as it will undoubtedly stimulate debate on the fundamental causes and consequences of economic inequality."" Oscar Gelderblom, University of Antwerp

Author Information

Denis Cogneau is Professor at the Paris School of Economics (PSE) and School for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS), and Senior Research Fellow at the French Institute for Development (IRD).

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