Cecil Rhodes was the dominant figure in 19th-century Southern Africa. It was his acquisition of diamond mines in South Africa that led to the formation of De Beer Ltd, the huge diamond corporation which he led, and he also dominated the gold mines of the region. With his wealth secured, he went on to dominate the political scene, first as premier of the Cape Colony and later as a visionary who saw Britain controlling and claiming all the African territory from Cairo to Capetown. He was a firm believer in white supremacy, and his ideas and policies continue in Southern Africa today. Rotberg creates a portrait of a complicated and compelling personality - a latent homosexual who controlled everything and everyone who came near him; a selfish wealth-seeker whose greatest legacy has been the Rhodes scholarship.