Foreign Policy 1951-64 Flashcards
What success did the UK see in 1949?
Became one of the founding members of NATO
How successful was UK’s industrial production in 1955-60?
The lowest in any major world economies
Describe the Blue Streak programme
Programme that aimed to build a land-based long range missilery to carry nuclear warheads
Cancelled in 1960 due to costs, among other issues, showing UK’s weakness
What was the effect of Suez on UK’s colonies?
The pace of decolonisation hastened
This is both positive and negative, as the UK was clearly losing influence, but not as badly as other nations (eg France with Algeria)
Describe Project Emily
1959
The UK and US agreed to base Thor, intermediate-range ballistic missiles, in the UK
These were strictly American missiles, merely based in British soil
Showed UK weakness + made UK a Soviet target
What did Chancellor Thorneycroft infamously say?
Described Britain as ‘bystanders’ during the Cuban missile crisis: one of the most consequential moments in human history
(Closest we’ve ever come to WWIII, according to Naz)
What happened on 6 Nov 1956?
US denied Britain International Monetary Find (IMF) support as a result of the Suez crisis
Shows that UK-US ‘special relationship’ isn’t so special after all
UK is one of five permanent members of…
United Nations Security Council (UNSC), founded in 1945
What other negative consequence of Suez did UK face? (oil)
Saudi Arabia initiated an oil embargo (ban) against Britain and France, and the US refused to alleviate this shortage until the two nations’ withdrawal from Suez
Which year did the UK conduct their first atomic bomb test?
1952, becoming the third nuclear armed country after US and USSR
Which year did the UK test their first own hydrogen bomb?
1957 (but the US did in 1952)
How well did UK’s economy do in 1960-1965?
1960: fourth largest by GDP
1965: fifth largest by GDP
What was UK’s trade balance between 1957-60?
£132 million+
Describe the Nassau Agreement
The US was to supply the UK with submarine-launched Polaris missiles by 1968
However, the UK can only use these missiles independently when ‘supreme national interests are at stake’ - which are defined by the US
When did the UK apply for EEC?
1961
Rejected in 1963 by the veto of French President De Gaulle
What happened in Iran in 1953?
Iran’s democratically elected leader was overthrown by the MI6 and CIA
Describe Sky Bolt missiles and their significance
The UK agreed to get the American Sky Bolt air-launched missiles in exchange for the US to have a submarine base for Polaris at Holy Loch, near Glasgow
In 1962, Robert McNamara admitted that Sky Bolt was a ‘pile of junk’, so they were cancelled and no missiles were delivered - yet the US kept its base at Holy Loch
How successful was the UK at world trade between 1955-60?
Consistently in the top 2-3
What losses did the Bank of England suffer in the first 2 days and mid-Nov 1956?
Depletion of £50m —> £279m in the reserves
Which two people showed that the UK had a serious spy problem?
Burgess and Maclean
How was Britain’s employment by 1955?
Full employment
How many colonies gain independence 1957-64?
14 (incl Ghana in 1957, Nigeria and Cyprus in 1960, Tanganyika and Sierra Leone in 1961, Uganda in 1962 and Kenya in 1963)
How many nuclear weapons did the UK have in 1965?
436 - third most behind the USSR (over 6,000) and the US (18,000)
