Foreign Relations Flashcards
Why did Britain have to withdraw from commitments in Greece?
Britain was facing bankruptcy from war related debts and high spending under the Labour government. Therefore Britain could not maintain military commitments in Greece and withdrew in 1947 handing over to the United States
What did the granting of Independence for India and Pakistan mark the start of?(1948)
Britain’s retreat from empire, Withdrawal from the jewel in the crown of the empire was the first of many British decolonisation efforts
Why did Britain not initially participate in the EEC?
The Left, such as the current Labour government, were sceptical of Free market principles behind the common market
The Right valued the sustainment of traditional economic and trade links with the commonwealth over new commitments in Europe
Labour had recently nationalised key british industries such as coal and steel, and to hand over control shortly after to a supra-national organisation would be a damning statement of the governments policies and it would be also seen as ceding British sovereignty partially to historic British rivals
Britain was still under the assumption at this point that they were still a world power and therefore reliance on the economic cooperation of their geopolitical lessers would suggest the opposite
Britain wanted to balance European commitments with their commitments to the special relationship with the United States
In what year did the UK first apply to join the EEC and why did they change their mind about not joining previously?
1961, and the Macmillan government hoped EEC membership would boost industrial production for a large scale export market (the UK experienced less growth than EEC members and struggled with production to solve its balance of trade deficit)
They also believed the EEC would boost industrial efficiency with greater competition and that the EEC would stimulate economic growth in the UK as it had in other member states
to some extent an admitment that the UK was not matching the productive efficiency gorwth of germany france etc
Who was Macmillan’s chief negotiator for joining the EEC?
Edward Heath (he would later be Prime Minister from 1970 to 74 and would finally enter the UK into the EEC)
Why did Charles de Gaulle Veto the UK’s entry to the EEC the first time?
He was determined to protect the partnership from “les Anglo-Saxons”, and the Influence of the USA they would bring into the EEC, France(derogatory) was also slighted by Britain as they abandoned them in the Suez Crisis
When did Britain test their first Atomic and Hydrogen weapons?
atomic bomb in 1952 and hydrogen bomb in 1957, despite later dependence on US polaris ICBMs the UK developed nuclear capability independently of the USA refused to share nuclear secrets with Britain, despite the UK merging their nuclear program with the Manhattan project in the war. Despite a later dependence on American systems for intercontinental delivery the UK still developed nuclear weapons.-blue streak vs polaris
Why did the UK participate in the Korean War?
To uphold commitments to the recently established United Nations, and by extension the USA and their policy of containment.
Britain sent a contingent of 90,000 men to Korea the second largest after the USA, over 20 countries in total provided troops to the UN intervention.
What was the ‘Burgess and Maclean affair’
Soviet spies in British intelligence,part of the ‘Cambridge 5’-fled-called into doubts britains security-threatened US relationship in the early 50s
Where were the protests for CMD held and in what years
Aldermaston and in 1958 and 59-became a magnet for anti gov protesting
Why was/is the Suez canal important
Incredibly strategic location for which britain needed to trade with colonies in the East- 80% of western europes oil imports went through the suez
Why did Nasser nationalize the suez
to provide the funding for the Aswan Dam
When was Kenya granted independence
1963
