Foreign Relations: 1951-64 Flashcards
What was the major problem after WW2?
Britain was badly damaged and had huge debts
What shows the diminished position of Britian in the world after the war?
1947 Britian removes economic commitments from Greece, Palastine and Turkey
What was the Schuman plan (1950)
Proposals for a coal and steel community between France and Germany with the goal of a economic reconstruction and greater unity
What set out the EEC?
The Treaty of Rome (1957)
What was Britian’s stance on the EEC?
They supported it, but did not want to join. This was both the political and social attitude
Why were Labour against the EEC on its inception?
They saw it as a “capitalist club” which worked against their socialist values
Why were the Conservative’s against the EEC on its inception?
They wanted to focus on the commonwealth and the “special relationship” with the USA
Why did the “Special Relationship” become even more important as the 50s and 60s progressed?
The developments of the Cold War
What was another, more nationalist, view against the EEC?
Many people saw Britain as above the EEC
I) What was Britian’s attempt at their own EEC called?
II) When was it set up?
I) EFTA (European Free Trade Association)
II) 1959
Why was EFTA a mixed bag?
Nations saw growth, but less than the EEC nations
When was the first EEC application?
1961
Give 3 reasons (other than economic growth) that Britain applied to join the EEC in 1961
I) boost in exports
II) A boost in exports would also boost production
III) President Kennedy encouraged Macmillan to join to strengthen the USA’s position with Europe
What was the major event that finally made British people reconsider Britain’s status as a great power?
The Suez Crisis
What was De Gaulle’s biggest worry about Britain?
Their links with America would infringe on the power of the EU
Why were the EEC negotiations in 1961 hard?
The UK wanted to continue commonwealth trade links
What was one of the major points of conflict in the EEC application of 1961?
The Common Agricultural Policy. Britain wanted to buy lamb from New Zeland instead of France.
I) When were Britain rejected from the EEC for the first time?
II) Why?
I) 1963
II) De Gaulle VETOd their application
Give 3 pieces of Evidence for the close relationship between the UK and US
1) 90,000 supporting troops in the Korean War (1950-53)
2) Macmillan’s involvement in the planning of the Paris Summit (1960)
3) Kennedy keeping Macmillan closely informed during the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
When was NATO formed? `
1949
What were the three key points of conflict between Britain and the US?
1) Suez
2) Spy scandals (Burges and Mclean)
3) The USA was the dominant power
When did the UK develop its nuclear bomb?
1957
When was CND formed?
1958
How many CND protestors were present at the 1958 and 1959 aldermarston marches?
8,000
I) When do the US sign he Mutual Defence Agreement?
II) What did it stipulate?
I) 1958
II) Sharing of nuclear secrets between the US and UK
How did the Mutual Defence Agreement change Britain’s approach to Nuclear weapons? (3)
I) more moderate labour politicians began to oppose them
II) The UK was, once again, reliant on the USA
III) The UK would adopt the submarine-launched Polaris technology
What percentage of Western Europe’s oil imports passed through the Suez canal?
80%
Who was the Suez Canal operated by until 1956?
The Suez Canal Company (dominated by French investors)
What even changed the Canal in 1956?
General Nasser leads a coup against the Suez Canal Company
What project did England and America pull out of following the coup?
The Aswan Dam project
How did Nasser respond to the UK and US pulling out of the Aswan Dam?
He nationalised the Suez canal to raise the funds for the dam
Why was Nasser’s anti-western stance even more worrying during this time?
There was a risk that Nasser would support the USSR
How did Eden view Britian’s world status?
He believed the UK was still a world power
Which middle eastern nation also feared Nasser?
Israel
Where did Britain, France and Israel meet?
Sevres
Did Eden notify Parliament or the USA of the plan devised at Sevres?
No
When was the Suez plan put into effect?
29th October 1956
What was the reaction to the plan in Suez
Opposition from Labour and most of the British public
What halted the military intervention in Egypt
The US denouncing America’s actions
What were two economic sanctions which caused Britain to suffer during the Crisis?
I) America blocked Britian’s IMF loan application
II) Saudi Arabia places an Oil Embargo on the UK, and the US refuses to help until troops after withdrawn
Which key cabinet member, who supported the invasion to begin with, convinced Eden to withdraw
Macmillan
What are the 4 major impacts of the Suez Crisis?
1) Eden’s political career ends
2) The establishment’s reputation took a huge blow
3) Britain’s reputation as a source for good in the world was weakened
4) It was clear the UK was no longer a major power due to the US’s force of a cease fire. From here Britain would have to tie its foreign policy to the US.
What was the first sign of decolonisation?
The withdrawal from India in 1947
What was Churchill’s view on Decolonisation?
It was going to happen (though he did not want it to) but it could happen slowly
What major uprising in 1952 had to be quelled by the British army?
The Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya
When was the Winds of Change speech?
1960
What were the two key part of decolonisation that Macmillan hoped for?
I) That the nations would allow black majority rule
II) That the nation would side with “western” capitalism instead of USSR-style communism
When did Ghana achieve independence?
1957
When did Nigeria and Cyprus become independent?
1960
Which nations became independent after 1960?
Tanganyika, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Kenya
