本論文探討的主題為英國自由黨對於1892至1895年間有關烏干達保護地設置問題的政策立場，以及由此所反映的自由主義與帝國主義理念之調和與衝突。烏干達問題的出現及難處，在於英國取得當地治權的容易隊及經營當地的耗費過鉅，在無嚴重的列弦威脅與土著挑戰之下，烏干達問題更能彰顯英國帝國主義的原始性與特殊性，而這個問題對於自由黨的「保守主義化」或「帝國主義化」，也引發根本的反省與巨大的影響。據此，本研究重點包括：一、烏干達在大英帝國的東非擴張計畫中所具有的地位與重要性，以及烏干達問題作為埃及問題延伸的表現；二、烏干達問題爭議所導致的英國自由黨意識形態與政策路線之分裂，此即是有關格蘭斯敦主義(Gladstoinianism)與羅斯柏理主義(Roseberianism)的交替問題；三、烏干達問題在十九世紀末期英國政黨政治與列弦帝國衝突情勢中，所呈現的特質與所造成的衝擊；四、羅斯柏理執政下，烏干達問題的解決方案及其對於自由主義新取向的影響；五、烏干達問題所表現的「自由派帝國主義」在理念與實踐之間的落差。這個研究探討「新帝國主義」(The New Imperialism, 1871-1914)追求國家榮耀而不計現實經濟利害的精神性意涵，隊此顯示一般左派學者討論帝國擴張或殖民主義的「盲點」，並說明近代自由主義因應複雜而密切的人際與國際關係時，所做的調整及其成敗得失。

This research aims to expound the Liberal Party's attitude and policy towards the establishment of the Uganda protectorate in the mid-1890s, thereby revealing the conflict and reconciliation between modem liberalism and imperialism. This study examines five points at issue: 1. Uganda and East Africa in the perspective of British imperial strategy; 2. The Uganda Question as a test of the Liberals’ formulae on imperial politics, esp. Gladstonianism and Roseberianism; 3. The Uganda Question in the context of home and international politics; 4. The Uganda business under the Rosebery Government from 1894 to 1895; 5. The solution of the Uganda Question and its impacts upon "Liberal Imperialism" in practice. In general, these issues explain the way-however different from that of the Conservatives-the Liberals contributed to the expansion of the British Empire. This treatise shows that the annexation of Uganda was a cheap enterprise, and that the "New Imperialism" in the late nineteenth century was to a great extent a byproduct of European power politics based upon a sophisticated nation-state system. More often than not, therefore, prestige mattered more than "material" things in the decision-making of foreign policy, as popular politics was rapidly taking shape in the first Western democracies. A forward policy in Africa might not always be preferable for the Liberals, yet a policy of retreat was never endorsed. So, the controversies over Uganda had, after all, little effect on the advance of the British West African empire.

自由黨；烏干達；格蘭斯敦；羅斯柏理；埃及；英屬東非公司；波特

Liberal Party；Uganda；Gladstone；Rosebery；IBEA；liberalism；Portal