Bennett emphasizes political history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, introducing economic, social, and other historical themes where appropriate. While he necessarily includes an extensive systematic account of the various modes of colonial rule, he makes a special effort to explore less well-known topics as well, such as the role of European-educated Africans in the formation of an indigenous elite and the position of African-born whites in the early stages of African nationalism. What emerges most forcefully from Bennett's lucid account is the diversity and scope that have characterized achievements of both the African and European participants in this continuing history.