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Modern Britain Y1 > 3:12 Foreign affairs - Content > Flashcards

3:12 Foreign affairs - Content Flashcards

1
Q

When did Britain finally join the EEC?

A

1973

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2
Q

However, the debate was far from over:

A

both the Labour and Conservative parties remained divided on this issue throughout the 1970s

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3
Q

By the time Britain was preparing its third application to the EEC in 1971…

A

everyone knew that Britain’s bid was likely to be accepted this time

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4
Q

Britain was now under Heath instead of Wilson, who had been…

A

uncommitted to EEC membership and was more concerned about maintaining Labour party unity

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5
Q

What was Heath’s attitude towards Europe?

A

He was passionately pro-Europe
> He strongly believed in European cooperation to prevent a repetition of the horrors of Nazi Germany
> His first speech in Parliament had been about the Schuman Plan, the forerunner to the EEC

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6
Q

What diplomatic experience did Heath already have in matters of the EEC?

A

He was chief negotiator of initial EEC discussions in 1961-1963

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7
Q

Heath pushed his officials to…

A

accept entry under any terms, including the Common Agricultural Policy which made Britain the 2nd largest contributor to the EEC, despite only receiving 8% of its expenditure

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8
Q

Rather than the reluctant Charles de Gaulle, the French president was…

A

Georges Pompidou

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9
Q

What was Pompidou’s attitude towards Britain joining the EEC?

A

He was convinced that the EEC needed Britain as much as Britain needed Europe

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10
Q

What was the process of Britain joining the EEC like?

A

> Heath’s negotiators had already made all of the detailed arrangements in 1962

> The formal process took more than two years but it was mostly a foregone conclusion

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11
Q

How was Britain’s entry into the EEC finalised?

A

Heath won a Parliamentary Seal of Approval

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12
Q

However, what was the greater issue concerning the EEC?

A

Heath needed to gain parliamentary approval in Britain

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13
Q

Why were some Conservatives against being part of the EEC?

A

> Some believed that Britain should strengthen her ties with the Commonwealth instead

> Some believed that Britain would be surrendering her sovereignty

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14
Q

Who was one of the most critical Conservatives against the EEC?

A

Enoch Powell
> His relationship with Heath was already very poor after the aftermath of the ‘rivers of blood’ speech

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15
Q

Heath attempted to get the European bill voted through Parliament several times, but…

A

Powell voted against it at every single stage - he believed that Heath was betraying the country by signing the treaty before it had been debated in Parliment

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16
Q

In the February 1974 election,

A

Powell refused to stand as a Conservative candidate and even called on his supporters to vote Labour

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17
Q

However, the Labour Party was…

A

even more divided on the issue of the EEC

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18
Q

Name a committed pro-Europe Labour member.

A

Roy Jenkins

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19
Q

The Labour Left was…

A

mostly hostile towards Europe

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20
Q

What was Wilson’s attitude?

A

He was neither strongly for nor against membership - he continued to prioritise maintaining party unity

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21
Q

At Parliament, Labour…

A

officially opposed Heath’s plans for the EEC, but could not argue against joining since there were too many pro-Europeans in the party

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22
Q

Wilson argued…

A

that Heath’s terms were not good enough, but even this compromise did not satisfy the Labour party

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23
Q

In the end, how did Wilson maintain unity on this issue?

A

> He promised a re-negotiation and national referendum when Labour came back into power

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24
Q

However…

A

69 rebel Labour MPs helped the Conservative government to win the decisive Commons vote, with 20 more abstaining (not voting at all)

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25
Q

At last, Heath’s persistence and commitment had brought Britain into Europe, but…

A

> There was still uncertainty, as it seemed likely that there would be a referendum in the future

> Some feared that Britain’s membership was 16 years too late and she would suffer from missing out on the formative years of the EEC

26
Q

What was Wilson’s main aim when Labour came into government in 1974?

A

Maintaining party unity

27
Q

How did Wilson try to maintain unity in the 1975 referendum campaign?

A

Anti-Europe Labour members could campaign according to their own views, rather than Wilson enforcing an official party line.

28
Q

Wilson and Callaghan argued…

A

that they were neutral

29
Q

By 1975, public support for Britain staying in the EEC was much stronger than before. Why?

A

> Britain was in an economic mess which proved that Britain needed to be in the EEC for its own economic survival

30
Q

Who supported the ‘Yes’ campaign?

A

> Most of the press
Business supporters
Politicians such as Roy Jenkins, Heath and most senior Conservatives, and also the Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe

31
Q

A survey in 1975 found that…

A

of 419 company chairmen, only 4 wanted to leave the EEC

32
Q

The ‘No’ campaigners fell into two main categories:

A
  1. Those who argued it would be bad for British workers - Barbara Castle, Michael Foot (both Labour Left)
  2. Those who argued Britain would lose its independence - Tony Benn (Labour), Enoch Powell
33
Q

What was the question asked in the referendum?

A

‘Do you think that the United Kingdom should stay in the European Community (the Common Market)?’

34
Q

When was the referendum held?

A

July 1975

35
Q

How many voted ‘yes’?

A

17 million (68.3%)

36
Q

How many voted ‘no’?

A

8 million (32.5%)

37
Q

What were the results of the referendum?

A

> Britain’s membership was confirmed

> The margin of victory was decisive, by more than two to one

> Reassuring, proof that Britain really was ‘in’

38
Q

However,

A

the fact that the referendum was held at all could be seen as a worrying sign of a lack of commitment

39
Q

How did Wilson view the referendum result?

A

It was a triumph; he had successfully avoided a Labour split

40
Q

What happened to the Europe debate after the referendum?

A

> The debate quietened
The Labour party was increasingly anti-Europe
Conservatives who opposed Europe did not change their opinions
However, the public voted to remain so the debate was closed for the time being

41
Q

Heath’s approach was more orientated towards Europe…

A

so he was less inclined to strengthen the ‘special relationship’ with the USA or ‘Atlantic Alliance’

42
Q

The US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger…

A

attempted to use Britain as a link with Europe

43
Q

How did Heath react to this?

A

He rejected these attempts, and insisted that the US should negotiate with the European Community as a whole, rather than using Britain as a link

44
Q

Also, Heath refused permission for…

A

the US to use British bases for resupply

45
Q

Although Heath did not get on well with Kissinger…

A

he got on well with the US president Nixon, and he was much more supportive of the US’ policy in Vietnam than Wilson had been

46
Q

Why did relations between Britain and the US worsen in October 1973?

A

The Yom Kippur War

> The US wanted to use NATO bases in Europe

> But most European countries, including Britain, refused permission as they feared the supplies of oil from the Middle East would be put at risk

47
Q

What was Wilson’s and Callaghan’s view of the Atlantic Alliance?

A

They were supportive of the special relationship

48
Q

What evidence is there that the Labour government cooperated well with the US?

A

> Callaghan forged a strong relationship with Kissinger

> Callaghan also negotiated the replacement of Polaris nuclear missiles with Trident in 1979 with President Carter

49
Q

However,

A

the Labour government completed the withdrawal from East of Suez, despite US disquiet

50
Q

Despite disagreements, why did Britain and the US continue to work together in the 1970s?

A

They continued to share the foreign policy objective of holding back communism

51
Q

Which were the 2 most powerful communist nations in the world?

A

The USSR and China

52
Q

While the Cold War meant that Britain had bad relations with the USSR and China…

A

The US improved its relations with these countries in the 1970s, so so Britain followed the US’ lead

53
Q

What was the ‘detente’ of the 1970s?

A

Successive presidents of the US and the USSR tried to maintain peaceful relations after the tension of the Cuban Missile Crisis. They did this by establishing direct contact. This led to meetings and eventually agreement to limit the build-up of arms.

54
Q

However, there were still fears about…

A

the USSR’s influence in Eastern Europe

55
Q

Which event demonstrated these fears?

A

The Georgi Markov affair - Markov was a Bulgarian who defected to the West in 1969 and openly criticised the Bulgarian communist regime. He was assassinated in London in 1978. The Russian secret service, the KGB, were suspected of being behind it though this was never proven.

56
Q

Up until the early 1970s…

A

relationships between China and Britain, the US and Western Europe were strained

57
Q

When did this suddenly change?

A

In 1971 when Nixon surprisingly announced a thawing of relations followed by a visit to China in 1972, where he held meetings with the Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

58
Q

How did Britain follow the US’ lead?

A

In 1972, Britain agreed an exchange of ambassadors with China. From 1974, Heath made many visits to China and was awarded the title of ‘People’s Friendship Envoy’ the highest possible honour given by the Chinese government to a foreigner.

59
Q

How was the relationship between China and Britain by the end of the 1970s?

A

In 1979, the Premier Hua Gofeng visited Britain as part of a European tour; this was the first visit to Britain by a Chinese leader since the communist revolution.

60
Q

Content summary:

A

> Britain’s entry into the EEC
Heath’s attitude to the EEC
Pompidou as French President
The process of Britain’s entry
Labour divisions over the EEC
The 1975 referendum
Heath’s attitude to the US
Tension with the US under Heath
Labour gov. cooperation with the US
Attitudes to the USSR
Attitudes to China

Modern Britain Y1 (12 decks)

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