Cecil Rhodes, Man and Empire-Maker

Catherine Radziwill places Cecil Rhodes among the rival politicians, wealthy speculators and imperial administrators shaping South Africa around the Boer War. Her biographical account begins with Sir Alfred Milner and the struggle over British rule, mining wealth and the future of the Transvaal. She presents these events through a strongly favourable view of the British Empire, while blaming financial adventurers for much of the political unrest.

During the winter of 1900-1901 at Groote Schuur, Rhodes faces damaged confidence, competing expectations and hopes that he might return to office. Radziwill describes conversations and disagreements from a personal perspective, showing how public ambition and private mistrust overlap. Readers interested in South African political history will find both a portrait of Rhodes and a record of the arguments used to defend imperial policy. The author's judgments are part of what makes this account useful to read critically.