4. Foreign affairs Flashcards
Wilson and EEC
- 1966, Wilson agreed to submit an application to the EEC
- 1967, flew to Paris to prepare to apply
- DeGaulle asked Wilson if he was prepared to loosen the UK/USA special relationship for entry into the EEC
- They refused, and DeGaulle vetoed the application
Left of Labour over EEC
Barbara Castle/ Michael Foot= believed the EEC was anti-trade union and it would stop the UK introducing socialist policies
Right of Labour over EEC
Roy Jenkins/ Brown wanted Britain to join as they believed it to be advantageous to British interests
Special relationship w/ Vietnam war background info
- USA’s president Johnson sought British military support for the Vietnam War.
- Johnson believed military support would enhance legitimacy and aid in justifying the cause against communism.
- He also sought moral support from the UK to bolster international backing for US actions.
Special relationship and Vietnam war: events
- Feb 1965, a nightclub frequented by US soldiers was bombed, leading to tensions.
- Despite Wilson’s initial refusal to send troops due to British engagements in Malaysia, Johnson persisted in requesting support.
- Johnson’s persistence strained relations, with Johnson viewing Wilson as a hindrance to US action.
- Later in 1965, Johnson considered withdrawing economic support from Britain unless Wilson deployed British troops.
Special relationship and Vietnam war: causes
- Johnson’s request for British troops stemmed from the desire for military assistance and moral support.
- Wilson’s refusal to send troops was influenced by existing British military engagements in Malaysia.
- Johnson’s threat to withdraw economic support highlighted the pressure tactics used to secure British involvement.
Special relationship and Vietnam war: outcome
- Wilson managed to negotiate economic support without committing troops to Vietnam.
- Despite attempts at peace negotiations, secrecy surrounding Lord Davis’ visit was compromised.
- The US disavowed Davis’ authority, and Ho Chi Minh refused to meet him, undermining the peace efforts.
- Wilson’s encouragement for a peaceful resolution during Kosygin’s 1967 visit was disregarded, indicating the ongoing challenges in resolving the conflict.
Empire and ‘decolonisation’
Why was there a reduction in military commitments?
Economic reasons
Empire and ‘decolonisation’
Budget cuts by Healey
Dennis Healey = minister of defence
* started process of budget below £2 billion by 1970
Empire and ‘decolonisation’
Critic of Healeys budget cuts
- Defend White Paper 1967 = troop withdrawal from Aden, Middle east, Malayisa + Singapore.
- argued since severity of situation, these cuts didnt go far enough.
Roy Jenkins
darastic spending cuts (was Chancellor) after 1967 devaluation crisis.
= withdrawal of East Suez drastically accelarated
= trrops gone from malayaia, Arabian Gulf, by end of 1971.
Decolonisation and Commonwealth
- Decolonisation, carried about by Attlee, Eden and Macmillan was continued by Wilson
- Under Wilson colonies of Africa became independent EG: Lesotho, Tanzania
- Wilson created a Ministry of Overseas Development to aid Commonwealth countries
- In 1965, Wilson created a Commonwealth secretarial and contributed 1/3 of its running costs.
Rhodesia
- In south Rhodesia, a former British Colony in East Africa, Ian Smith (PrimeMinister) was refusing to agree to majority rule (Rhodesia’s black population)
- Wilson refused to decolonise until Smith accept majority rule
- Wilson met with Smith twice (in 1966 and 1968) but he still could not get to an agreement
- Eventually, civil war broke out, leading to the victory of Robert Mugabe and the creation of
Zimbabwe in 1979.
Evaluation
Wilson FP positives
- managed to keep UK troops out of Vietnam - regarded largly as failure to US, protected britain from humiliation.
- attempted to show moral leadership in Rhodesia, could have granted independence with majority rule, fact he refused set a precedent which later governments would follow in their dealings with Rhodesia.
- Wilson attempted to get the UK into the EEC—though he failed it put pressure on later governments to “Get Britain In”
- Other than Rhodesia—decolonisation occurred smoothly under Wilson and he invested heavily in new Commonwealth countries (helping their economic development)
Wilson FP negatives
- Attempts to negotiate a peaceful end to the war in Vietnam was rejected— Wilson was attempting to find a new told for Britain as an international mediator and this resulted in humiliation
- Wilson increasingly irritated President Johnson, potentially costing the UK one of its closest and most powerful Allies (arguably repeating Eden’s mistakes with Eisenhower)
- Wilson failed to get Britain into the EEC, a second French Veto was humiliating
- He failed to settle black majority rule in Rhodesia despite meeting with Ian Smith twice— Rhodesia had a bloody civil war, which made Britain look powerless to stop it.
