The end of post war consensus 1970-1979: Foreign affairs Flashcards
When did Britain join the EEC?
1973
What did the referendum over the EEC state?
- There were harsh divisions within the Labour Party and Conservative party
- 67% of UK citizens voted to remain in the EEC (due to a national need to rid the UK of its poor global title)
Why was there no longer a special relationship with the USA under Heath?
- Nixon wanted to repair the special relationship after distrust with Wilson, but Heath referred to this as a natural relationship
- Heath wanted to make it clear to the USA that the UK’s future was with Europe and not the US
How did the Yom Kippur war affect the relationship between the UK and USA and when was it?
- 1973
- US wanted to use NATO bases in Europe for an airlift of supplies to Israel
- UK refused this as they feared that oil supplies from the Middle East would be put at risk
- UK also refused to allow US planes stationed in other places to refuel at Cyprus
- Outraged Americans
Was the UK and USA’s special relation good within this time period?
No- Nixon was keen to repair the relationship with Heath after distrusting Wilson, but ultimately resulted in Heath and Nixon despising each other
Why did the UK and USA continue a close relationship?
Due to the emergence of the communist powerhouse of China
How did France help Britain get into the EEC?
New president, Pompidou, believed that the EEC needed Britain as much as Britain needed the EEC, as opposed to De Gaulle who vetoed Britain’s entry
How was Heath faced with criticism by Enoch Powell over the EEC?
- Powell voted against the passage of the EEC at every single stage
- Believed that Heath betrayed the country by signing the treaty before it had been debated in parliament
- He refused to stand as a Conservative candidate in the 1974 election and called on his supporters to vote Labour
How did Wilson keep his government together after previous opposition to Heath?
- Labour Party opposed Heath’s plans when they came to parliament, but couldn’t argue against joining due to their being many pro Europeans within the party
- Wilson argued that the terms given weren’t good enough, but this compromise didn’t satisfy everyone
- In the end, Wilson could only keep the party together by promising a renegotiation and national referendum
- 69 rebel Labour MP’s helped the Conservatives to win a vote with 20 more abstaining
- In 1973 the six became the nine
How was Wilson’s main aim of party unity demonstrated in the referendum campaign of 1975?
- Strategy was to allow his anti European cabinet to campaign according to their own views, rather than enforcing a party line
- By 1975, voter support for the UK staying in the EEC was much stronger
- Lots of press were strongly in favour too
How was the ‘Yes’ campaign good?
- Provided support for the government entering the EEC; a survey showed that only 4/419 company chairmen wanted to leave the EEC
- Politicians at the head of the campaign were Jenkins, Heath and Thorpe (made a bigger impression on public opinion)
What were the results of the 1975 referendum as to whether the UK should stay in the EEC?
17 million voted yes
8 million voted no
What were Britain’s attitudes towards the USSR?
- After Cuban missile crisis tensions, US and USSR tried to prevent this happening again by establishing direct contact
- Agreed to limit the build up of arms
- Underlying tensions still remained due to fears about the USSR’s influence in Eastern Europe
- Demonstrated by Georgi Markov affair: assassinated in London in 1978
What were Britain’s attitudes towards China?
- In 1971 Nixon surprisingly announced he wished to rekindle the US relationship with China, shortly after visiting China in 1972 where he had meetings with Mao Zedong
- Britain followed this action and agreed on an exchange of ambassadors with China
- Heath made many visits to China from 1974 and was awarded the title of “People’s friendship envoy”, the highest possible honour given by the Chinese government to a foreigner
- In 1979 the 1st visit from a Chinese leader was made since the communist revolution
