This study charts the continuous power struggles of Pakistan's ruling elites from independence in 1947 to the rise of Benazir Bhutto. It argues that the legacy of the British Empire, with its method of divide and rule, has made the chance of democracy succeeding in Pakistan slight. With rulers more interested in personal aggrandizement and maintaining a minority power base, Pakistan has suffered from a lack of forward-thinking politicians interested in uniting the country and the various ethnic factions.