decolonisation including 'withdrawl East of Suez' Flashcards
what did the labour government continue?
the decolonisation policy that had started under the conservatives and accelerated after Macmillian’s ‘winds of change’ speech
labour government knew from 1964 there would have to be?
a reduction in Britain’s military commitments for economic reasons
who was the minister of defence?
Denis Healy
Denis Healy started a process of spending cuts designed to bring the defence budget below how much?
bring the defence budget down £2 billion by 1970
Healy’s defence white paper in 1967 set a timetable for?
troop withdrawals from Aden, the Middle East, Malaysia and Singapore
necessity to reduce defence spending meant Healy ensured that defence spending dropped how much?
dropped from 6% to 4% of the GDP by 1971
what may some argue?
given the economic situation that the Labour gov inherited, these defence cuts did not go far enough or fast enough
But what did Wilson believe
believed in both the Atlantic Alliance and in Britain continuing to have a world role
-so no serious debate about giving up the nuclear deterrent despite its expense
to continue having a world role what did the Wilson gov announce?
announced that it would continue to deploy US Polaris missiles
-in 1967 a commitment made to upgrade the system
all this changed in january 1968 with?
the drastic spending cuts introduced by chancellor Roy Jenkins after the 1967 devaluation crisis
withdrawl from East of Suez was
rapidly accelerated
by the end of 1971
troops were to be pulled out of Aden, the Arabian Gulf, Malaysia and Singapore
summarised= troops withdrawn from all British bases in Asia and the middle east by 1971
despite wishes of both Wilson and Healy what was abandoned and why?
the development of a new high-tech warplane, the TSR2, was abandoned because it was too COSTLY
nuclear power= Britain could still maintain her role in the world
people did praise Wilson for?
scaling back British military commitments east of the Suez canal
how did America react to the decision to withdraw of East Suez?
Americans felt they needed more troops so were angered when they heard British troops were leaving
