Topic 2: FP (1964-70) Flashcards
4
List the reasons for EEC application in 1967
- Economic issues
- Political factors (placate pro-marketeers and counter Heath)
- Foreign policy factors
- Renewed optimism over a reduced supranationalism
3
Describe how economic issues caused EEC application in 1967
- Declining growth (3% to 1.5%) contrasted with continental rivals
- Short-term shocks created demand for EEC entry to solve long-term issues (Wilson openly pro-market after 1966 July Crisis)
- Strengthen Britain’s technological developments
4
Describe how political factors caused EEC application in 1967
- Internal europhile attitudes
- Intended to outflank Heath who openly advocated EEC entry
- Wilson appeared even-handed in debates by foucussing on terms, rather than principle. of entry
- Wilson initially convinced Tony Benn that Britian could develop better technology through membership
Benn - tech minister
4
Describe Labour europhiles’ attitudes to the EEC (1964-70)
- e.g. Jenkins and Brown
- Brown wanted to create a politically integrated Europe to stand up to USA
- Did not believe commonwealth was good base for British power
- DEA developed pro-EU policy
4
Describe the Labour left’s attitudes to the EEC (1964-70)
- e.g. Foot and Casle
- Claimed membership would increase food prices
- Would damage balance of payments with rush of imports from Europe
- Regarded EEC as ‘capitalist club’
4
Describe how FP factors caused EEC application in 1967
- ‘Friendly Five’ (excluding France) wanted to end rival trading blocs with Britain
- Britain had committed to Treaty of Rome
- Greater international role
- To please President LBJ who spoke in favour of united Europe in NATO, especially since he held a more ambivalent attitude towards Britain than JFK
4
Describe how reduced supranationalism caused EEC application in 1967
- De Gaulle supported integration, not supranationalism of Brussels
- Empty Chair Crisis in 1965 - French boycott of EEC
- Gained members’ individual veto on important national issues
- Wilson belived he could work with France to build a ‘Europe of States’, though the FO disagreed
6
Outline British attempts to join the EEC in 1967
- March 1966 election have Wilson increased mandate
- Featured in 1966 manifesto
- Wilson and Brown toured all EEC countries in early 1967
- Formally applied May 1967
- endeavoured to avoid long-delays of Macmillan
- De Gaulle vetoed application 2nd time in November 1967
4
Describe how De Gaulle caused EEC rejection in 1967
- Still concerned over ‘special relationship’
- Concerned motives were purely economic
- 1966, Healey (Defence Sec) forced to apologise after calling De Gaulle ‘bad ally’ for French troop withdrawal from NATO
- ‘Friendly Five’ favoured membership, but did not want to alienate France after empty chair crisis
2
Describe how the ‘special relationship’ caused EEC rejection in 1967
- Concerned De Gaulle
- Paris June 1967, De Gaulle demanded assurances from Wilson that UK would detach from ‘special relationship’ → completely unrealistic
2
Describe how devaluation caused EEC rejection in 1967
- Resistance to devaluation
- French said sterling would have to be devalued before entry
combine with economic reasons card in exam
3
Describe how wider economic reasons caused EEC rejection in 1967
- 1966 Sterling Crisis justified French concerns over Britain’s fitness to join
- EEC had more to lose than gain by allowing EFTA states access to common market
- De Gaulle criticised Wilson for seeking hasty entry to resolve economic woes
combine with devaluation card in exam
3
Describe the consequences of EEC rejection in 1967
- Wilson humiliated
- Criticism from the left and the right
- Forced to accept devaluation
2
Describe American military support (1964-70)
- Lab cancelled expensive military aircraft programme →
replaced with American F1-11s - Wilson abandoned identification with UDI (see other card)
4
Describe Wilson’s attitude to the USA (1964-70)
- pro-American
- Amicable relationship with LBJ
- Reluctance for military force informed inaction in Rhodesia and Vietnam
- Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 highlighted need for maintained Atlantic Alliance
7
Describe Wilson’s attitude to Vietnam
- War escalated in 1964
- Wilson resisted direct military involvment against LBJ’s wishes
- Britain would struggle to afford intervention - but needed American support to sterling to avoid devaluation
- Anti-Vietnam protests in Britain
- Wanted to appease political left and popular opinion - condemnation would have led to reduced funding for social developments
- Wilson instead offered moral support
- Strained US relationship
4
Outline a background to issues in Rhodesia in 60s
Rhodeisa = modern-day Zimbabwe
- White supremacist minority govt led by PM Ian Smith
- Consensus among frontbenches to deny independence on apartheid-style terms
- Labour took strong line on self-determination for native populations of former colonies
- UDI in Nov 1965
UDI - unilateral declaration of independence
4
Describe reasons for resistance to military intervention in Rhodesia
- Overstetched military
- Would have split cabinet/parliament (WIlson had majority of 4)
- Wilson committed to peaceful transition to black majority rule
- prospective aggression against white British descendants left public support unattainable
4
Describe economic sanctions placed on Rhodesia
- e.g. Britain would not import tobacco from Rhodesia
- Intended to collpase Smith regime in weeks (took years)
- Imposition of sanctions failed
- Rhodesian government continued without much disruption
3
Why did economic sanctions fail to cripply Rhodesia?
- South Africa maintained trading relations
- Evasion of sanctions through Portuguese colony of Mozambique, West Germany and Switzerland
- Contravening of sanctions by Shell and BP
3
Describe Wilson’s attemps to resolve Rhodesian issues post-sanctions
- Met Smith on HMS Tiger in 1966 and HMS Fearless on 1968
- Smith had right-wing Conservative support
- Refused handing over situation to UN for fear of British abjection from responsibilities
2
Describe the aftermath of Rhodesia issues
- Smith would outlast Wilson as political leader
- Rhodesia would collapse in 1979, with sanctions being a contributing factor
3
Describe British reduction in imperalism prior to East of Suez withdrawal
- Conceded independence to all major colonies
- Troop reductions in Suez in 1956
- Remained over 57k troops and 14k navy personnel permanently deployed east of Suez
4
Describe the announcement of withdrawal East of Suez
- Jan 1968
- All British military forces would be withdrawn from East of Suez by 1971
- Healey’s white paper would bring defence budget below £2bn by 1970
- Marked rapid shift in three circles policy
3
Describe reasons for opposition to withdrawal East of Suez
- Strategically important in Cold War e.g. prescence in Persian Gulf ensured that West retained grip on Middle Eastern oil supplies
- Bound by treaties, such as the Baghdad Pact 1955 which included responsibility to Pakistan and Turkey
- Military forces in Singapore, Hong Kong, Aden, etc
may be ust background info
4
Describe how economic costs contributed to withdrawal East of Suez
- Accentuated by Jenkin’s spending cuts after 1967 devaluation crisis
- Balance between military contributions to Western Europe and prescence in Gulf and Far East
- East of Suez prescence costing £317m a year by 1965
- Export market had switched from Empire to Europe
3
Describe how decolonisation contributed to withdrawal East of Suez
- Bases in Singapore, Aden no longer strategically important
- Had been designed to protect trade routes to India
- International bases irrelevant due to nuclear war -> would leave no power vacuum for USSR
2
Describe how reliable partners contributed to withdrawal East of Suez
- Australia and New Zealand lnked themselves with security of Malaysia and Singapore
- Iran and USA capable of intervention in Gulf
Iran led by pro-Western Shah
