Foreign relations Flashcards
How was Britain left after WW2?
WW2 left Britain badly damaged, burdened with massive debts and in the shadow of two new military superpowers, the US and the USSR
What marked the start of Britain’s ‘retreat from the empire’?
In 1947, Britain faced bankrupcy and had to withdraw from commitments in Greece, Turkey and Palestine
The same year, independence was granted to India and Pakistan
When was the Suez crisis?
1956
When was the EEC formed?
1957
When was the EFTA formed?
1959
When was Britain’s aplication to join the EEC rejected?
1963
Why did Britain not initially join the EEC?
- There were few politicians or journalists who supported Britain joining
- The left were suspicious of the free market principles behind the Common Market
- The right regarded the preservation of traditional trade links with Australia, Canada and New Zealand as more important than those with Europe
- There was a belief that it was an issue for continental europe, Britain had ‘won the war’ and France had been ‘overrun’
- There was an assumption that Britain was still a great world power
- Britain wanted to balance its relationship with Europe with its special relationship with the US
Who was determined to protect the EEC from ‘les Anglo-Saxons’?
French President De Gaulle, wanted to protect the partnership from Britain and by extension the US. This was why he vetoed Britain’s application in 1963
Why did Macmillan want to join the EEC?
To boost industrial production for a large scale export market
To increase industrial efficiency with greater competition
To stimulate economic growth with the rapid economic expansion seen in the EEC
Was the EFTA as successful as the EEC?
No it couldn’t match the EEC’s economic growth
Why were Britain’s negotiations with the EEC complex?
Britain was trying to maintain its position within the Commonwealth and the US as well as Europe.
The EEC already had developed economic structures eg the Common Agricultural Policy which Britain struggled to conform to, they had to seek special exemptions for Britain’s commonwealth trade partners eg lamb exports from New Zealand
What were Britain’s relations with the US and USSR dominated by?
The early years of the cold war- Britain and the US were allies opposing the expansion of communism across Europe
What did the costs of Britain’s independent nuclear deterrent demonstrate?
That Britain was militarily overstreched and dependent on American power
What is an example of Britain and the US’s special relationship?
The Cuban Missile crisis in 1962 as Kennedy kept Macmillan informed of the events despite the fact Britain wasn’t directly involved
Why did Britain’s nuclear missile project ‘Blue streak’ exist?
The post- war Labour government committed Britain to developing an independent nuclear deterrent but the US had stopped sharing its nuclear secrets so Britain would have to develop one itself. Churchill continued this policy so in 1952 they conducted atomic bomb tests. In 1958 the US agreed to share nuclear technology with Britain under the mutual defence agreement so the Blue streak project was abandoned and replaced with the American dependent Polaris submarine weapons system
What was formed in 1958?
The campaign for nuclear disarmament which rapidly became the most powerful pressure group in Britain. Around 8000 people went on a demonstration at the weapons research base at Aldermaston in Berkshire in 1958
What were the consequences of the Korean war?
Korea was split into a communist North and a non-communist south after fighting reached a stalemate. Britain sent over 90,000 troops, the second biggest contingency to the US.
It showed the Cold war was being fought acriss the world
It demonstrated Britain’s willingness to play a major role in World Affairs despite economic constraints
It was clear the US was the greater power
What were the consequences of the Suez crisis?
The emergence of Egyptian independence under nationalist Nasser was very concerning for Britain’s strategic interests, the Suez canal was a vital route for oil shipments. Nasser nationalised the Suez canal company in 1956 which seemed to place Egypt on the Soviet side of the cold war. The PM Eden was seen as an expert on foreign policy but his understanding of the events was influenced by his belief that Britain was an imperial power and his opposition to appeasement. Eden saw Nasser as ‘an evil dictator who could not be allowed to get away with unprovoked aggression’. A secret plan was made with an Israeli attack to be launched, followed by an anglo french invasion.
The US opposed this action and Britain in 1956 was just not strong enough to stand up to American pressure, so a financial crisis ensued.
Britain was forced to pull out, it was a humiliating failure
Eden’s reputation was fatally damaged
Britain’s global position also had to go through a fundamental reassessment as it brought into question wether Britian was a force for good, demonstrated Britain’s inability to act without the US’ tacit support and brought into sharp relief the impact that Britain’s economic and financial policy had on the direction of foreign policy
Undermined Britain’s status as a major world power after WW2
In the early 1950s what did Britain’s leaders believe about decolonisation?
They believed they could manage a gradual transition from the Empire to the New Commonwealth and that they could control the colonial resistance movements until their peoples were ‘ready’ for independence
What was the Mau Mau rebellion?
It broke out in Kenya in 1952. They thought it would be quashed by the military as at that time, independence for Kenya was unthinkable, but that changed after Suez. It was a violent nationalist uprising against colonial rule which led to great bitterness on both sides. Reports of brutal treatment of captives held at the Hola prison camp damaged Britain’s reputation. The struggle to control the rebellion demonstrated the problems with Britain’s colonial policies.
What was the shift in Britain’s policy on colonisation?
After the suez crisis, British policy makers began to reconsider the pace of decolonisation. This shift in policy was signalled by Macmillan’s ‘winds of change’ speech. In retrospect it was a successful policy as British decolonisation happened faster and less violently than with other colonial powers like Belgium
