WILSON 1964-70 CHAPTER 8

Question 1

1964

2 things

Answer 1

Escalation of the Vietnam War
Independence granted to Zambia and Malawi

Question 2

1965

Answer 2

Unilateral Declaration of Independence proclaimed for southern Rhodesia

Question 3

1967

Answer 3

EEC application vetoed by de Gaulle.
British pull back from the east of Suez

Question 3

1966

2 things

Answer 3

Second EEC application agreed by Wilson’s government.
Wilson and Smith talk on HMS Tiger

Question 4

1968

Answer 4

Hungarian rising crushed by Soviet forces.
Wilson and Smith talk on HMS Fearless.

Question 5

• By 1964, the wind of change had brough independence to

how many countries?

Answer 5

18 New Commonwealth states  Wilson hoped to continue this by reducing Britain’s military responsibilities especially in the east of Suez.

Question 6

RELATIONS WITH, POLICIES TOWARDS USA, PARTICULARLY THE ISSUE OF VIETNAM

Wilson was pro-American and was a keen supporter of the Atlantic Alliance (AA).

2 reasons

Answer 6

• The cold war was still ongoing, and Britain wanted to ensure that the US stayed committed to the defence of Europe.
• The continuing possibility of soviet threat was highlighted by the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia that stopped the communist system being diluted there (Dubcek, the new leader had introduced reforms which increased the freedom of speech, movement, and the decentralisation of the economy.)

Question 7

RELATIONS WITH, POLICIES TOWARDS USA, PARTICULARLY THE ISSUE OF VIETNAM

However, the relationship between Britain and US came under strain over the Vietnam War:

what was this

Answer 7

Had begun in 1955 – Vietnam had divided into 2 states – a communist north made up of Viet Cong rebels (communist guerrilla soldiers) and non-communist south, supported by the US government, which escalated after 1964. The war ended in 1975 when the US withdrew, and Viet Cong took over the whole country. The war was extremely controversial and became increasingly unipolar when casualties and evidence of atrocities mounted.

Question 8

RELATIONS WITH, POLICIES TOWARDS USA, PARTICULARLY THE ISSUE OF VIETNAM

From the time the escalation of the Vietnam war began in 1964, the US president Johnson wanted to gain support and approval from allies:

australia vs britain

Answer 8

• Australia sent troops to Vietnam and Johnson wanted Britain to do the same.
• Wilson resisted any direct military involvement despite his good relationship with Johnson - this was difficult as he wanted to maintain the AA, but the war became hugely unpopular in Britain – especially with the left (he risked losing political support if he was too supportive) and there were economic considerations.

Question 9

RELATIONS WITH, POLICIES TOWARDS USA, PARTICULARLY THE ISSUE OF VIETNAM

• Britain could not afford military involvement, but Wilson also needed the support of the US to avoid devaluation. He ended up giving

Answer 9

moral support without military support, annoying the US who wanted greater backing and annoying some Labour MPs and supporters who wanted Wilson to condemn the US.

Question 10

RESPONSE TO WORLD AFFAIRS AND RELATIONS WITH EUROPE

• 1964 – labour not committed to continuing the conservative policy of

Answer 10

seeking entry into the EEC.

Question 11

RESPONSE TO WORLD AFFAIRS AND RELATIONS WITH EUROPE

• 1962 – Gaitskell passionately fought against

Answer 11

Britain’s first application as he believed it was a federal political union.

Question 12

RESPONSE TO WORLD AFFAIRS AND RELATIONS WITH EUROPE

• Wilson was ambivalent  preferred the

Answer 12

Atlantic alliance and stronger links with the commonwealth but could see the economic reasons for joining.

Question 12

RESPONSE TO WORLD AFFAIRS AND RELATIONS WITH EUROPE

• Many on the labour left such as Michael Foot and Barbara Castle as well as the trade unions were equally hostile  saw the EEC as

Answer 12

a capitalist club that would prevent Britain from following capitalist policies

Question 13

RESPONSE TO WORLD AFFAIRS AND RELATIONS WITH EUROPE

• There were several Europhiles in the cabinet –

Answer 13

Roy Jenkins and George Brown (became foreign secretary in 1966).

Question 14

RESPONSE TO WORLD AFFAIRS AND RELATIONS WITH EUROPE

• 1966  Wilson became more convinced of the economic arguments and in October, his cabinet agreed on a

Answer 14

new EEC membership application.

Question 15

RESPONSE TO WORLD AFFAIRS AND RELATIONS WITH EUROPE

the bid seemed half hearted because of doubts within labour and de Gaulle was still president of France and hadn’t changed

Answer 15

his mind about British entry.

Question 16

RESPONSE TO WORLD AFFAIRS AND RELATIONS WITH EUROPE

• January 1967  Wilson and Brown went to Paris to meet de Gaulle and

Answer 16

toured the other countries to gain support.

Question 17

RESPONSE TO WORLD AFFAIRS AND RELATIONS WITH EUROPE

• June 1967  Wilson went back to Paris and de Gaulle demanded assurances that Britain would

Answer 17

detach itself from the special relationship – there was no way Wilson would to this.

Question 18

• November 1967  de Gaulle used his

Answer 18

veto against British entry.

Question 19

WITHDRAWAL FROM ‘EAST OF SUEZ’

• Labour knew there would have to be a commitment to the reduction in Britain’s military commitments for economic reasons.
• The minister of defence, Dennis Healey started a process of

Answer 19

spending cuts designed to bring the defence budget below £2 million by 1970.

Question 19

WITHDRAWAL FROM ‘EAST OF SUEZ’

• 1967  Healey’s defence white paper set a timetable for troop withdrawal from the

Answer 19

middle east, Malaysia, and Singapore

Question 20

WITHDRAWAL FROM ‘EAST OF SUEZ’

• Some believed the cuts did not go far or fast enough, but Wilson believed Britain still had a world role  there was no serious debate about

Answer 20

giving up the nuclear deterrent despite its expense.

Question 21

WITHDRAWAL FROM ‘EAST OF SUEZ’

• Wilson announced that it would continue to deploy

think nuclear

Answer 21

US Polaris missiles – in 1967 a commitment was made to upgrade the system.

Question 22

WITHDRAWAL FROM ‘EAST OF SUEZ

January 1968 – all changed with the drastic spending cuts introduced by Jenkins following the 1967 devaluation crisis:

3

Answer 22

• Withdrawal from east of Suez rapidly accelerated.
• Troops were to be pulled out of the Arabian Gulf, Malaysia, and Singapore by the end of 1971.
• The development of a new high-tech warplane, TSR2 was abandoned as it was too costly.

Question 23

RHODESIA

1961 – South Africa rejected the idea of majority rule, left the commonwealth and oved towards an apartheid system
what was tis?

Answer 23

 strict segregation between whites and non-whites. This led to political, social, and economical discrimination against non-whites.

Question 23

RHODESIA

Macmillan had chosen Cape Town as the place to make his winds of change speech because his target was the white minority regimes who wanted independence  the minority regimes were not

Answer 23

persuaded, and this speech was seen as a challenge and a threat.

Question 24

RHODESIA

• 1963  the federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland broke up into 3 separate entities.

which where??

Answer 24

• Northern Rhodesia became independent Zambia.
• Nyasaland became independent Malawi.
• Southern Rhodesia

Question 25

RHODESIA

• Southern Rhodesia hoped for independence, but Britain rejected this until a majority rule replaced political domination by the white population  a political row broke out when

Answer 25

Ian Smith became prime minister – he issued a unilateral declaration of independence for Rhodesia without accepting a majority rule.

Question 26

RHODESIA

This was a direct challenge to the Labour government – Wilson hoped he could reach a solution through oil sanctions or a negotiated solution.
what did he do?

Answer 26

He met Smith for face-to-face talks on boad HMS Tiger off Gibraltar in December 1966 which seemed to make progress, but Smith disavowed everything he had said as soon as he got back home.

Question 27

RHODESIA

Wilson’s frustrations continued throughout 1967:

2 reasons why his sanctions didnt work?

Answer 27

• Oil sanctions did not have much effect  Rhodesia got supplies through the Portuguese colony Mozambique and the big oil companies ignored the sanctions policy.
• South Africa continued to trade with Rhodesia.

Question 28

RHODESIA

• October 1968 – more talks on HMS Fearless, but Smith felt stronger and believed he could rely on

Answer 28

support from the right wing of the conservative party and wait for Britain to give in.

Question 29

RHODESIA

• Wilson’s diplomacy got nowhere.
• The situation upset the

Answer 29

commonwealth and many on the labour left wing, and made Britain look weak at the same time.