HEATH 1970-4 HEATH 1970-4, WILSON/CALLAGHAN 1974-9 CHAPTER 12

Question 1

BRITAIN’S ENTRY INTO AND RELATIONS WITH EUROPE

1973  at the 3rd time of asking, Britain finally joined the EEC, even though both parties remained

Answer 1

divided on the issue.

Question 2

ENTRY INTO THE EEC

• By the time the application was being prepared in 1971, everyone knew in advance that Britain’s bid was likely to be accepted.

heath vs wilson

Answer 2

• Wilson was uncommitted to European membership – Heath was passionately pro-European.

Question 3

ENTRY INTO THE EEC

• French president was now Pompidou, a man convinced

Answer 3

the EEC needed Britain as much as Britain needed EEC.

Question 4

ENTRY INTO THE EEC

• The bigger issue was gaining parliamentary approval  there were MPs who believed strongly in the

2 things

Answer 4

commonwealth or that Britain would be surrendering its sovereignty.

Question 5

ENTRY INTO THE EEC

• One of the biggest critics was Enoch Powell (relations with Heath was very poor after the rivers of blood speech)

what did he do (so petty lowkey fw it)

Answer 5

voted against the passage of the European bill through parliament at every single stage and believed Heath betrayed the country for signing the treaty before it had been debated in parliament. He refused to stand as a candidate in the 1974 election and urged his supporters to vote Labour.

Question 6

ENTRY INTO THE EEC

• Labour was even more divided – there were some pro Europeans (e.g. Jenkins) but the labour left was mostly hostile. Wilson was

Answer 6

neutral and continued to be obsessed with ensuring party unity.

Question 7

ENTRY INTO THE EEC

• Labour officially opposed Heath’s plans when they came to parliament however could not argue against joining on principle –

why

Answer 7

there were too many pro Europeans in the party but although Wilson argued the terms offered were not good enough, but this didn’t satisfy anyone.

Question 8

ENTRY INTO THE EEC

• In the end, Wilson promised a

Answer 8

re-negotiation and a national referendum when Labour came back to power.

Question 9

ENTRY INTO THE EEC

• In the end, 69 rebel Labour MPs

how many abstained

Answer 9

helped the conservatives win decisive Commons vote with 20 more abstaining.

Question 10

ENTRY INTO THE EEC

• Some feared that Britain’s membership was 16 years too late, and it would suffer from

Answer 10

missing out on the formative years of the EEC.

Question 11

THE EUROPEAN REFERENDUM

• 1974  labour returned the government and Wilson’s first aim was party unity – allowed his anti-Europe cabinet colleagues to

Answer 11

campaign according to their own views rather than enforcing a party line for the 1975 referendum.

Question 12

THE EUROPEAN REFERENDUM

• 1975  voter support for Britain staying in the EEC was

why

Answer 12

stronger than ever before – the economic mess proved Britain needed to be in it for economic survival.

Question 13

THE EUROPEAN REFERENDUM

• Most of the press in favour – the yes campaign was well financed by business supporters - of the 419 chairmen, only

how many wanted to leave?

Answer 13

4 wanted to leave.

Question 14

THE EUROPEAN REFERENDUM

• The politicians at the head of the yes campaign =

3 (1 from each party)

Answer 14

Jenkins, Heath, and liberal leader Thorpe.

Question 15

THE EUROPEAN REFERENDUM

• The no campaigners fell into 2 categories:

Answer 15

those arguing it would be bad for British workers (Castle, Foot – both from labour left) and
those who thought Britain would lose its independence (Benn, Powell).

Question 16

THE EUROPEAN REFERENDUM

• The referendum asked, ‘do you think that the UK should stay in the EEC?’

yes and no votes?

Answer 16

• 17 million (68.3%) voted yes, and 8 million (32.5%) voted no.

Question 17

THE EUROPEAN REFERENDUM

• Britain’s membership was confirmed  the margin of victory was

Answer 17

decisive and looked reassuring that Britain was in.

Question 18

THE EUROPEAN REFERENDUM

• Wilson saw the referendum as a personal triumph as he

Answer 18

successfully avoided a labour split.

Question 19

THE EUROPEAN REFERENDUM

• The European issue quietened after the referendum – Jenkins left parliament to

Answer 19

become a European commissioner.

Question 20

THE EUROPEAN REFERENDUM

• The labour party was increasingly anti-European and the conservatives opposing to the increasing influence of Europe had

Answer 20

not changed their beliefs.

Question 21

THE STATE OF THE ‘SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP’ WITH USA

• Heath orientated towards Europe -> less inclined to strengthen the Atlantic alliance  rejected the attempts of

Answer 21

the US to use Britain as a link with Europe and insisted the US should negotiate with the European community as a whole rather than using Britain.

Question 22

THE STATE OF THE ‘SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP’ WITH USA

• Heath had been more supportive of the US’ policy over

Answer 22

Vietnam than Wilson had been.

Question 23

THE STATE OF THE ‘SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP’ WITH USA

• Relations worsened during the Yom Kippur war in 1975  the US wanted to use NATO bases in Europe for an airlift of supplied to Israel, but most European states including Britain

Answer 23

refused as they feared oil supplies would be put at risk.

Question 24

THE STATE OF THE ‘SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP’ WITH USA

• Wilson and Callaghan were both still keen on the AA  Callaghan negotiated the replacement of

Answer 24

Polaris missiles with Trident in 1979 and completed the withdrawal from east Suez despite US disquiet

Question 25

ATTITUDES TO THE USSR AND CHINA

US and Britain, despite disagreements, continued to work together as they shared the foreign policy objective of

Answer 25

holding back communism.

Question 26

ATTITUDES TO THE USSR AND CHINA

The USSR and China were the most powerful communist nations in the world, and due to the Cold War relations between Britain and these countries had been based on suspicion. However, in the 1970s,

what happened

Answer 26

US’ relationship with both countries improved  Britain followed their lead in both cases.

Question 27

ATTITUDES TO USSR

• There was a detente (easing of hostility between nations) in the 70s.
• After the Cuban Missile Crisis, the successive US and USSR presidents tried to

Answer 27

avoid such a situation recurring by establishing direct contact - led to meetings and the agreement to limit the build-up of arms.

Question 28

ATTITUDES TO USSR

• Underlying tension about the USSR’s influence on eastern European countries remained - demonstrated in the Markov affair.

what was the Markov affair?

Answer 28

• Markov was a Bulgarian who defected to the west in 1969 and was outspoken in his criticism of the Bulgarian communist regime. He was assassinated in 1978, in London, supposedly by a poisonous pellet being fired. The Russian secret service KGB were suspected of being behind it – but this was never proven.

Question 29

ATTITUDES TO CHINA

• Relationship between China and the western world was strained.
• 1971  Nixon suddenly announced a

Answer 29

thawing of relations followed by a visit to China in 1972 where he held meetings with Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

Question 30

ATTITUDES TO CHINA

• Britain followed suit, agreeing an exchange of ambassadors with China.
• Heath made many visits to China from 1974 onwards, and awarded

Answer 30

the highest possible honour given by the Chinese government to a foreigner.