The late nineteenth century 'Scramble for Africa' saw European colonial powers carve up the African continent between themselves. The United Kingdom controlled the largest portion of territory, with its Colonial Regulations requiring an ‘Annual Blue Book’ to be submitted from each colony to the British Colonial Office. The Blue Book was an attempt to standardise statistical reports, primarily covering economic development as well as demographic, ecclesiastical, and public records.

This collection contains Blue Books and other archival material from 13 British colonies and protectorates in Africa compiled during the period 1821-1953. The standardised nature of the Blue Books enables comparisons to be drawn geographically (between colonies) and over time on issues from the slave trade and colonial economic practice to education and public health. – Publisher

The first module of Colonial Caribbean documents the history of British colonies throughout the Caribbean from early settlement to the eve of the Slavery Abolition Act passed in 1833. This module features volumes from The National Archives, UK sourced from 26 different Colonial Office (CO) series (sometimes referred to as file classes) which include material related to 27 Caribbean colonies.

Originally known as the 'Government Gazettes', each item contains the colonial laws for the year they were published. The legal records also include property for sale, probate records and bankruptcy notices. This is the first part of the three part series 'Colonial Law in Africa'. These items cover the Napoleonic Wars, the Boer War and the First World War. They also cover the abolition of the legal status of slavery. These gazettes were published alongside the African Blue Books of Statistics during the 19th and 20th centuries. - Publisher

Originally known as the 'Government Gazettes', each item contains the colonial laws for the year they were published. The legal records also include property for sale, probate records and bankruptcy notices. This is the second part of the three part series 'Colonial Law in Africa'. These records cover the transfer of Southern Rhodesia from the British South Africa Company to colonial rule. A series of legal notices also reveal the impact of the Treaty of Versailles on Tanzania. The Second World War then led to a series of new laws in these colonies. These gazettes were published alongside the African Blue Books of Statistics during the 19th and 20th centuries. - Publisher

Originally known as the 'Government Gazettes', each item was originally published as the Government Gazette for a colony and year. Their contents include tenders of property, probate records and insolvency notices. This is the third part of the three part series Colonial Law in Africa. These papers cover the Mau Mau uprising, the creation of the first legislative councils and legal changes to transfer power to those councils. These gazettes were published alongside the African Blue Books of Statistics during the 19th and 20th centuries. – Publisher

This section covers the period of the birth and development of the Indian and Pakistani states from the run-up to partition in August 1947 until the death of Jawarhalal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, in 1964. The region's two principal states underwent a traumatic birth, with the violence and displacements of partition followed by tensions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir which erupted periodically into both skirmishes and full-blown warfare. The period also saw India clash militarily with Hyderabad in the wake of its ruler's attempts to maintain independence, with Portugal over its unwillingness to give up Goa and its other Indian possessions and, less successfully, with China over disputed territories in the Himalayas. The majority of files in this section are from the FO 371 series, with smaller numbers from DO 133 and DO 134. - Publisher

This section covers the period from Nehru’s death to the separation of Bangladesh from Pakistan and the subsequent war and humanitarian crisis. The period also saw renewed war between India and Pakistan over Kashmir (August-September 1965), the accession to power in India of Indira Gandhi, Nehru’s daughter, and the continuance of military government in Pakistan under Yahya Khan. Most files in this section are from the FCO 37 series, with small numbers from DO 133, DO 134 and FO 371. - Publisher

This last section covers the 1970s, a decade in which all the main states of the Indian subcontinent all experienced political upheavals and repression in varying degrees. Bangladesh emerged as an independent state but failed to achieve political stability, and Pakistan returned to civilian rule, in the wake of the military’s failure to prevent Bangladesh’s secession, before another military coup returned the army to power five years later. In India, the government of Indira Gandhi became increasingly dictatorial, jailing hundreds of opponents and declaring a state of emergency in 1975. In 1977, Gandhi’s government fell and India elected its first non-Congress prime minister. Events also began in Afghanistan which foreshadowed the chaotic conditions there of the 1980s and 1990s: the monarchy was overthrown by a coup in 1973, and a further coup in 1978 brought a communist regime to power. This was followed by internecine fighting within the government and a Soviet invasion in 1979, heralding a long, brutal civil war. The 1970s also saw India develop nuclear weapons and Pakistan begin development in response. All files in this section are from the FCO 37 series. - Publisher

This collection follows the establishment of an independent Malaysia in 1963, following the release of the Cobbold Commission Report. Under President Sukarno, Indonesia strongly opposed this decision and hostilities between the two countries escalated. Alongside tensions with Malaysia, Indonesia would experience growing civil unrest in this period, with anti-Communist sentiments on the rise. Documents featured in this collection cover these fundamental events alongside a number of key themes, including trade, economic development and authoritarian rule in this period. – Publisher

‘Jacoby’ is short for die Fragmente der Griechischen Historiker (FGrHist, or FGrH), a collection of ancient Greek historic texts that were lost, except for fragments (citations, extracts and summaries) found in other sources. Most of these fragments are attributed to a particular author and/or work in the source text, but some remain anonymous and can only be categorized by their subject matter. Consequently most entries in Jacoby Online focus on a lost author, but some entries contain anonymous fragments on a particular era or region, or even a single fragmentary text from a papyrus or manuscript.

This collection contains annual reports compiled by the British colonial government in Sierra Leone. The documents pre-date the establishment of the Sierra Leone Protectorate in 1896, covering the period up to the creation of an independent Sierra Leone state in 1961. The Annual Departmental Reports provide a comprehensive overview of the evolution of British colonialism in Sierra Leone. They are therefore a useful resource for students and historians alike. – Publisher