Wilson foreign policy 1st Flashcards
pressure to apply to the EEC
Wilson was even handed, the debates mostly consisted of trying to meet entry requirements. the early talks went badly as Healy accused De Gaulle of being a ‘bad ally’ as the french troops were withdrawn from NATO. Economic problems led to a package of deflationary measures which justifies french concerns our British fitness to join, but the talks also strengthened long term problems.
reasons for application of EEC 1967
after the July crisis wilson was more openly pro-market, to join they needed to change the left left who were anti-market e.g Barbra Castle., they needed to please president Johnson who spoke in favour of the EEC, they needed to British economy and they wanted an international role to have control and influence over the EEC.
why did it fail
1967 De Gaulle announced tat British membership would upset the EEC and he was concerned over Britain’s commitment to the USA. at an EEC meeting in June the other members thought that if Britain entered it would alienate France and they did not want another ‘empty chair crisis’ Another main reason that the application failed was that Britain had just devalued the pound from £2.80 to £2.40 which showed that the economy was weak and unstable, thus the EEC would of lost more than they would of gained.
Consequences
it was embarrassing for Wilson not only to announce that the pound was devalued but also that because of the pound being devalued the application to join the EEC failed. Wilson overestimated his ability to manipulate De Gaulle.
Rhodesia
conservatives had left southern Rhodesia in a mess, so Wilson faced the Unilateral Declaration of Rhodesian Independence by the white minority government of Ian Smith in November 1965.
The illegal smith regime posed severe difficulties, presenting a major challenge to British authority and claims of sovereignty as
handing over problems to the United Nations would have been an abdication of British responsibilities that was unacceptable to a country which still aspired to Great Power status. Removing the Smith Regime by Military force would of outstretched Britain’s military capability
Wilson felt morally committed to a settlement in Rhodesia that would ensure a
peaceful transaction to majority black African rule.
applying sanctions in Rhodesia
Economic sanctions would bring Ian Smith’s illegal regime to its knees ‘in weeks rather than months’. With American support Wilson believed this was possible, but it was less impressive than it seems due to evasions of sanctions through Mozambique and from European powers such as west Germany and Switzerland
East of suez
by Mid-60 the British economy was shrinking yet they still wanted to be a world role to have financial support from the US. in the mid 60s still retained much of the global network of military bases that it had assembled to protect the Empire.
1964-1970 wilsons gov took on an east of suez stance which included NATO, the American ‘special relationship’ and the Commonwealth.
Britain remained bound by Treaty obligations such as SEATO and CENTO which meant military forces maintained in the Far East, Middle East, Southern Africa and the Mediterranean.
