Chapter 4 - Foreign Relations Flashcards
What were the consequences of the Second World War
It left Britain badly damaged and a huge burden of debt they were also in the shadows of the two new military superpower is the USA and the USSR
What did Britain’s bankruptcy of 1947 entail
The ambassador in Washington had to inform that Britain would have to withdraw from commitments in Greece Turkey and Palestine making the start of Britain’s retreat from the Empire
What was the Shumam plan of 1950
It set out the proposals for a call and steel community that would integrate French and German heavy industry in order to promote rapid economic reconstruction and bind together historic enemies and eliminate the danger of future wars this was the foundation of the EEC
Why did Britain not initially get involved with the EEC
The right of Britain preferred the preservation of to dishy know trade lines with Australia Canada and New Zealand
There was an assumption that Britain was still a great world power
Britain wanted to balance relationships with Europe to maintain the special relationship with the US
What was Charles de Gaulle determined to protect
The partnership from the les Anglo-Saxons which was Britain and the influence of the US through Britain to prevent their common market with their trade
What did Britain do to compete with the EEC
Britain took the lead formation in the EEFT a however this was only moderately successful in comparison the house in 1961 Macmillan submitted Britain’s application to join the EEC
Why did Britain changes mind about the EEC
It was mainly economic reasons Britain wanted to boost industrial production for a large scale export market increase industrial efficiency with greater competition and rapid economic expansion already seen in the EEC
What shock Britain’s imperial power
This series crisis in 1956 and rapid decolonisation
Why was Britain not accepted into the EEC in 1963
Britain wanted to keep its position in the Commonwealth and with the US so in 1963 Charles de Gaulle exercise Francis right of veto and blocked Britain’s application this intervention caused by the relations between Britain and France for some time
What was Britain’s relationship with the US a and USSR like
It was dominated by the early years of the Cold War the three of them were allies in the Second World War but after it was Britain and America who remained allies to fight the expansion of communism across Europe
What was Britain and America is relationship like during the Korean War
They remained close allies and also sustained West Berlin it appeared that Britain kept its place at the international top table because of Kenaday helping Macmillan in the loop
What was the Cuban missile crisis
Cuba a communist country requested the USSR to station nuclear weapons in Cuba but the US feared this as it was only 90 miles away and thus set up a blockade to prevent Soviet ships from reaching Cuba. This led to tensions and has been seen to be the closest the world came to a nuclear war. The relationship of Britain and America was still put under strain the Burgess and McLean affair their relationship with the EEC and Suez
What was the Burgess and McLean affair
They were intelligence officers be defected to the Soviet union in 1951 the revelation that British spies had been leaking vital secrets to Moscow deeply worried the US who became more reluctant to share intelligence secrets with Britain
What were labours stance on nuclear deterrent
After the war the Labour Party committed Britain to developing an independent nuclear deterrent weren’t the USA had stopped sharing its nuclear secrets with Britain so if Britain wanted to become a nuclear-power it would have to do so on its own
What was Churchills stands on nuclear deterrent
Churchill continued labours policies and the first tests of their atomic bomb where in 1952 this made Britain third country in the world to develop nuclear weapons not in comparison to the USA and USS Rare Britain’s H bomb was tested in 1957
What did the concerns over the atomic bomb lead to
The creation of the CND in 1958 and it rapidly became Britain’s largest pressure group backed by many intellectuals and middle-class protesters instead they want to Britain to follow a policy of unilateral nuclear discernment mainly the left wing of labour
What did the CND pressure group do
Around 8000 people took part in a demonstration at the weapons base in Aldermaston in 1958 second March in 1959 was even bigger and involved labour left-wingers
What was the mutual defence agreement
Created in 1958 when America agreed to share nuclear technology with Britain because of this Britain abandoned their own project blue streak 1960 to depend on the American Polaris submarine weapons system
What was the Korean War and when did it happen
1959 to 1953 career that was previously occupied by Japan was now occupied by the Soviet union in the north and by the US in the south in 1954 says from North Korea supported by the Soviet union and China invaded the south the UN condemned of the action and sent for sale to combat the inversion Britain sent over 90,000 soldiers the second largest after America over 1000 died
What were the consequences of the Korean War
It agreed that career would be split between a Communist North Korea and a non-Communist South Korea the Cold War was being forced to cross the world and it demonstrated Britain’s willingness to continue to play a major role in world affairs
What is meant by the winds of change and decolonisation
By 1951 Britain’s retreat from the Empire had already begun with the with draw from India in 1947 during the 1950s the pressures of colonial independence movements became harder to contain British forced found themselves fighting against national independence movements in Malaya Kenya and Cyprus
What did British rulers of thing they could achieve through a gradual transition from the Empire till the Commonwealth
They thought they could actually have a smooth transition however the mau mau rebellion broke out in Kenya in 1952 it was assumed it could be squashed by military intervention but this along with Suez demonstrated the problems with Britain’s colonial policies
What was MacMillans winds of change the speech
He made a speech in Cape Town describing the winds of change are blowing through Africa was a significant change in policy calling for decolonisation and recognition of independence movements he was also trying to persuade these countries to act set majority rule South Africa preferred to follow minority white rule and broke all ties with Britain
