60s - Foreign Affairs Flashcards
What was the main reason that Wilson was pro-USA?
He wanted to ensure that the US stayed in Br defence.
What triggered the fear of the Red Army in 1964?
The Czechoslovakia invasion.
What was the Vietnam War?
Ongoing since 1955 - the USA and Australia got involved when it escalated in 1964. Wilson refused to send troops.
What was the main reason Wilson held back troops?
The war was unpopular so Wilson risked a split in the party. Britain also couldn’t afford military involvement and Wilson already needed financial aid froth USA to survive.
What was Gaitskell’s fear about Europe in 1962?
That it was a first step towards a federal political union wherein Br lost all sovereignty.
What was the object of the TUs and Labour Left?
The EEC was a club for international capitalists who didn’t care about the man.
Who were the Europhiles in Wilson’s cabinet?
Brown and Roy Jenkins.
What was Wilson’s personal view on EEC?
ambivalent - preferred the USA but appreciated the economic benefits. He was overly conscious of keeping unity
When was the EEC application pushed through Parliament?
October 1966.
What did Wilson do to gain support in 1967?
Wilson toured all 6 EEC countries to gain support, but De Gaulle put him on the spot to completely detach from the USA - Wilson couldn’t promise that and France vetoed in November 1967.
Where was decolonisation focused in this period?
East of Suez.
What did Healey propose for defence spending?
To bring it below £2 billion by 1970.
What did the 1967 White Paper set out?
A timetable for withdrawal from Aden, the Middle East and Malaysia.
What prevented significant spending cuts?
Maintenance of the nuclear deterrent - 1967 commitments to upgrading Polaris.
What caused accelerated withdrawal in 1967?
The devaluation - Britain could not afford an elongated withdrawal - East of Suez fully independent from Br by 1971.
After Macmillans WOC speech, what happened in Rhodesia?
It split into Zambia, Malawi and Southern Rhodesia. SR wanted full independence but Britain would only let that happen with majority rule in place.
What did Ian Smith issue in 1965?
After becoming PM he issued the Unilateral Declaration of Independence without accepting majority rule - seen as a direct challenge to labour.
What happened in Rhodesia in December 1966?
There were talks on the HMS Tiger which seemed to make progress but Smith publicly disavowed everything he said once home.
Why were oil sanctions ineffective against Rhodesia?
It was easy for Rhodesia to get oil from Mozambique and South Africa (Ecca).
What did Smith believe he could rely on?
The support of the Cons party in Parliament, preventing Labour from passing any radical anti-minority rule legislation so Wilson’s diplomacy was ineffective.
