When Alfred Milner (1854-1925) was knighted, he took as his motto Communis Patria, 'patriotism for our common country'. By this he meant the wider patriotism of the British Empire, the furthering of which he made his life's work. This is the first study of Milner to take his politics, or 'constructive' imperialism as its primary theme. His career is examined as a whole, from the genesis of his imperial ideology at Oxford, through his time as High Commissioner in South Africa during the Boer War, to his days as Minister of War during the final seven months of the First World War. Famously, Milner propagated his ideas through his 'kindergarten', a group of like-minded young male acolytes. In this fascinating book, J Lee Thompson also discovers a group of young female supporters of his vision. This book is based on extensive primary research in archives in the UK, North America and South Africa.

"'we can thank Thompson for providing us with the 'behind the scenes' details of many of Milner's ideas and relationships, shorn of proto-imperialist bombast.'"