Foreign Relations

• • WW2 damaged Britain badly, meaning debt was taken out to fix it up, and being overshadowed by two superpowers (US and USSR).
  • Independence of India and Pakistan was granted in 1947, start of Britain's 'retreat from the Empire'
  • People and politicians were slow to accept the new position of the British. 


  Position of Britain globally at the start of the period:
• Creation of the EEC
• Britain did not support this but did not join because
• Schuman Plan of 1950
• In 1957 under the Treaty of Rome without Britain due to their absence in the international conference, in Messina, Sicily in 1955. The leadership was dominated by the French and German


  Introduction of EEC
• Created in 1959, only partially successful as it did not match the success of the EEC. 


  EFTA (European Free Trade Association)
• Economic reasons:

  • boost industrial production for a large-scale export market
  • increase industrial efficiency
  • stimulate economic growth with the rapid economic expansion the EEC bought. 


  Why did Macmillan submit an application to join the EEC in 1961
• The Conservative Party split into two factions - the pro-EEC "Yes" group led by Macmillan and the anti-EEC "No" group led by Butler. This division weakened the government's position during negotiations with the EEC.
• Macmillan believed that joining would be beneficial economically and politically. He also wanted to avoid being isolated from Europe and losing influence over its former colonies. However, he faced opposition from his own party and the public who were skeptical about giving up sovereignty to Brussels.
• Political reasons for joining the EEC:

  • To not lag behind other markets
  • US wanted Britain to join as it would also link them to Europe
  • In a por position since the Suez crisis#
• • Remained allies from WW2
  • Britain become a founder of NATO in 1949
  • Worker with them to maintain West Berlin
  • Macmillan had a good personal relationship with JFK and he kept Britain informed on the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis


  Relationship with the US:
• • Britain recognised that they needed nuclear weapons sooner or later to not lag behind the rest of the superpowers
  • 1952: Churchill continued the first tests of British atomic weapons
  • British H bomb was tested in 1957
  • Concerns: CND formed which became a very powerful PG backed by intellectuals and middle class people. 


  Nuclear weapons;
• • Research base at Aldermaston in Berkshire in 1958, around 8,000 people
  • Second march was even bigger for unilateralism 


  Marches against nuclear weapons
• A project on nuclear weapons that the US agreed to share that was abandoned after US pulled out from funding in 1960 under the Mutual Defence Agreement. It was replaced by Polaris which showed Britain could not do thi independently


  Blue Streak
• Korea was occupied by Japan in WW2, was occupied by the USSR (north) and the US (south). In 1950, forces from north korea was sent to invade the south which was condemned by the UN which immediately sent troops to stop the conflict, Britain sending 90,000 troops. 1,000 british soliders died and in 1953 a ceasefire was set of which showed how indirectly the cold war was being fought and showed Britain's willingness to play a role in major foreign affairs.


  Korean War 1950-53
• Indepeendence granted in 1957


  Ghana
• Revolt in Kenya over several violent nationalist uprisings against British colonial rule after 1945. Both sides were harsh and violent against each other and the poor treatment of captives in the Hold prison camp tainted the reputation of the British


  Mau Mau rebellion:
• The "Wind of Change" speech was made on 3 February 1960 by the British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan whilst addressing the South African Parliament in Cape Town during his tour of African Commonwealth states. He had been on tour of Africa since 6 January that year, visiting Ghana, Nigeria, and other British colonies in Africa. It was a watershed moment in the struggle for Black nationalism in Africa and the independence movement across the continent. 


  Start of decolonisation:
• Formed in 1954 as a pressure group to agitate against Britain's adopting a policy of decolonisation. These were mostly right-wing individuals.


  League of Empire Loyalists
• It showed that the post-war world shouldn't be one were nations are still imposing their rule onto others against their will. Colonialism was slowly dying out. 


  What did the war and Suez crisis show about imperialism
• Between 1957-68 Britain gave independence to the remaining countries in Africa and majority elsewhere. For the bulk of this process, it was relatively smooth and peaceful. 


  Process of decolonisation
• 1952-60 there was serious clashes between British and Kenyan nationalist forces which resulted in the death of 13,000 native Kenyans. The problem was when independence would be granted not if


  Kenya
• In Rhodesia there was a white settler community who ruled it and held majority of the political power, had no intentions of making the country democratic whatsoever as it would give the 'backward black Rhodesians' rule. The PM, Ian Smith, declared a UDI in 1965 and for the next 15 years they faced the consequences of it by living through the sanctions placed onto them by putting an embargo on tobacco. 


  Rhodesia:
• UDI: Unilateral Declaration of Independence
• Prohibition on sale and purchase

  Embargo:
• It simply couldn't afford to keep up with the costs of it, and since the war it had not made any profit off it rather been in debt because of it. They were already dependent on the US, making them in a much weaker position. 


  Why did Britain start the decolonisation process:
• • establishment of a common market and a union to monitor trade between markets
  • Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
  • Member states were required to operate a protectionist policy against all non-member nations. 


  Treaty of Rome key terms:
• Aimed to end rural poverty by getting grants from the 'richer' areas to the 'poorer' areas. This meant that farmers were charged the same for their products regardless of the actual demand which increased prices for consumers.


  CAP
• To re-establish itself as a respectable nation after the Nazi regime 


  Why did Germany join the EEC
• France wanted to control the growth in power of Germany and would rather work with Germany than against it due to their economic growth. 


  Why did France join the EEC
• Both of the main parties initially rejected joining the EEC. In October 1962, Gaitskell firmly rejected the idea of the joining the EEC 


  British attitudes towards Britain
• The French recognised that the sole reason for Britain joining the EEC was to trade with Europe rather than the Commonwealth. De Gaulle didn't see why Britain would need Europe if they have Commonwealth and EFTA. He was also aware that the US wanted a piece of Europe.

  First French veto 1963