Sir Alan Burns was the most prominent defender of the British empire in its final stages. The Last Imperialist: Sir Alan Burns' Epic Defense of the British Empires studies Burns' career and his arguments in defense of European colonialism. Bruce Gilley describes Burns' intellectual and policy battles with opponents of colonialism and his efforts to slow the decolonization process. The Last Imperialist takes readers through Burns' critical roles in World War I, the economic development of British Honduras (contemporary Belize), the forging of the Anglo-American alliance in World War II, and the political development of the Gold Coast (contemporary Ghana). The Last Imperialist closes with an examination of Burns' final contributions to colonial affairs in the 1960s and 1970s, a time when his worst predictions had been vindicated. A revisionist history of European colonialism, The Last Imperialist analyzes anti-colonial arguments in the context of the colonial encounter as seen through the life and works of Sir Alan Burns.

Popular perceptions of a state's legitimacy are inextricably bound to its ability to rule. Vast military and material reserves cannot counter the power of a citizen's belief, and the more widespread the crisis of a state's legitimacy, the greater the threat to its stability. Even such established democracies as France and India are losing their moral claims over society, while such highly illiberal states as China and Iran enjoy strong showings of public support. Through a remarkable fusion of empirical research and theory, Bruce Gilley makes clear the link between political consent and political rule. Fixing a definition of legitimacy that is both general and particular, he is able to study the role of legitimacy as it has been maintained and lost in a diverse selection of societies. He begins by detailing the origins of state legitimacy and the methods governments have used to wield it best. He then considers the habits of less successful states, exploring how the process works across different styles of government. Gilley's unique approach merges a broad study of legitimacy and performance in seventy-two states with a detailed empirical analysis of the mechanisms of legitimation. The results are tested on a case study of Uganda, a country that, after 1986, began to recover from decades of civil war. Considering a range of explanations of other domestic and international phenomena as well, Gilley ultimately argues that, because of its evident real-world importance, legitimacy should occupy a central place in political analysis.

本书系统全面地阐述了有关中国民主的一系列重要话题，这些问题影响到全人类21世纪的战争与和平，同时也对中国共产党执政命运有决定性影响。作者深刻阐述了影响中国民主化导向的一系列因素和力量。对那些有道德良知喜欢思考问题的读者来讲，本书实属不可不读的佳品。