For students and general readers, Maxon (history, West Virginia U.) surveys East Africa's political, economic, and social history from pre-colonial to modern times. Examining the history country by country, he addresses the physical movement and societal development of and between ethnic groups before the 1890s; the capitalistic impact of European colonialism in the early nineteenth century, with a focus on the development of centralized states ruled by monarchs rather than political formations ruled by chiefs or counsels of elders; and the achievement and aftermath of independence during the later part of the twentieth century in Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya, as well as the offshore islands of Zanzibar and Pemba. This edition has revised sections and a new preface. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)