The Economic Revolution In British West Africa

Originally published in 1926, McPhee's work was the first to establish a framework for understanding the economic development between 1820-1920 in British West Africa.

This is the standard account of the economic history of the vast area conventionally known as West Africa. Ranging from prehistoric time to independence it covers the former French as well as British colonies.

The discussion of pre-colonial slavery shows how slavery became integrated into the new colonial economy.

Detailed study of the role of overseas trade and Africans in the Industrial Revolution.

Why has Africa remained persistently poor over its recorded history? Has Africa always been poor? What has been the nature of Africa's poverty and how do we explain its origins? This volume takes a necessary interdisciplinary approach to these questions by bringing together perspectives from archaeology, linguistics, history, anthropology, political science, and economics. Several contributors note that Africa's development was at par with many areas of Europe in the first millennium of the Common Era. Why Africa fell behind is a key theme in this volume, with insights that should inform Africa's developmental strategies.