Chapter 7

• Advantages and disadvantages of Korean war

  • Advantages:
  • ½ major powers outside of Russia

  Disadvantages:

  • All political and strategic control = A
  • Britain was the junior partner
• How Korean War affected our relationship with the USA

  700 British soldiers killed compared to 34,000 American soldiers. Britain heavily influenced the decision to invade North
• Evidence of skilful and poor British handling in Korean War

  • Skilful:
  • We helped to check communist aggression and establish the UN as an effective agency
  • The USA were tied firmly to the defence

  Disadvantages:

  • Increased defence expenditure, less money was available to our welfare
• Advantages and disadvantages of Suez

  • Advantages:
  • Both agreed that the British should control this area to stop it falling into the hands of the Soviets

  Disadvantages:

  • The USA were not informed of our plans with France on Egypt
• How Suez affected our relationship with the USA


  Damaged relations significantly! Eisenhower insisted on the withdrawal of our forces humiliating Eden leading to his resignation
• Evidence of poor British handling in Suez

  • Easily defeated by Nasser

  2. Nasser had not carried out anything to warrant invasion

  3. The USSR condemned the invasion as imperialist

  4. US opposed the invasion
• Advantages and disadvantages of Falklands


  • Advantages:
  • USA would prefer us to have control of the islands over the right-wing Argentine dictatorship

  Disadvantages:

  • USA didn't like to be associated with the "imperialist" Britain
• How Falklands affected our relationship with the USA

  Reagan did not think the islands were worth fighting for, however, provided the British with weapons and vital military intelligence
• Evidence of skilful and poor British handling in Falklands

  • Skilful:

  1. Thatcher liked to boast that her policy had restored Britain's 'greatness'

  2. Many admired the resolution & skill displayed

  Poor:

  1. Reinforced that Britain could not act without the support of the USA

  2. Still an issue of island ownership that remains

  3. The attack and defending the islands cost £1.5 million per islander
• Advantages and disadvantages of Gulf War

  • Advantages:
  • We fully supported the USA

  Disadvantages:

  • Thatcher and Bush Senior disagreed on how to act. Bush wanted to build the widest possible coalition while Thatcher wanted to attack and get it over with
• How Gulf War affected our relationship with the USA

  It strengthened our relations. We committed the 3rd largest military contribution after USA and Saudi Arabia
• Evidence of skilful and poor British handling in Gulf War

  • Skilful:

  1. Only cost 47 lives – well planned and thought out

  2. It was over in less than 100 hours

  Poor:

  1. Saddam Hussein was allowed to keep control of Iraq

  2. Many in the Middle East felt that it was an example of British and American imperialism
• How successfully did Britain respond to international crises- Special relationship

  • Their relationship was close as:

  1. We both had a strong tie of language, culture, trade, and history

  2. Churchill first used the term 'special relationship' in 1946

  3. Fought alongside each other in WWII, with thousands of US troops stationed in Britain

  4. Both had membership of NATO
• How successfully did Britain respond to international crises- problems with Special relationship

  • The decline in Britain's economic power meant that we could only offer limited military support to the USA

  Suez! Anglo-American relations in the 1950's were strained as Britain had to accept that we were the junior partner and the USA did not support us
• In 1961 the East German authorities built a wall around West Berlin to prevent it being used as an escape route to the west
• The USSR had shipped nuclear weapons to Cuba which would easily hit the USA
• Anglo-American relations in the 1960's & 1970's


  • - Kennedy regarded Macmillan as a friendly figure and went to him for advice
  • Callaghan and Carter restored good relations as they had personal chemistry
  • However, our standing as a world power was reduced, so our importance and influence with the USA was reduced
  • Johnson was disappointed that Wilson would not commit troops to Vietnam
  • Heath had very cool relations with Nixon as he focused on Europe and the EEC
• Reagan and Thatcher


  • Positives:

  1. US logistical and intelligence assistance was vital to our victory in the Falklands

  2. Thatcher allowed the US to use British-based F111s to bomb Libya

  3. They both opposed United Nations sanctions against the apartheid in South Africa

  Negatives:

  1. Thatcher disliked Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative idea

  2. In October 1983 America invaded Grenada (a member of the Commonwealth) to remove a communist government, which Thatcher had advised the US not to do

  3. Thatcher did not like Reagan's willingness to bargain away the West's nuclear weapons in his talks with Gorbachev
• Thatcher and Regan wanted South Africa for its strategic Cold War location, so ignored racial discrimination and believed the black nationalist movement in the country was communist, so sanctions would hit the country's black population hardest
• Yugoslavia broke up, Serbs largest racial group didn't want Bosnian independence. 3-year war began, Muslims killed in genocide called 'ethnic cleansing'. West tried to stop it but failed and was seen as weak and indecisive
• Anglo-American relations in the 1990's


  • We co-operated strongly in the First Gulf War and in the conflict in the Balkans in 1995
• In 1997 Washington valued British diplomatic and military support in times of crisis, but British policy was seen to exercise little influence over American decision-making
• How important were Anglo-Russian relations in the 1950s


  • - Khrushchev replaced Stalin as leader of the Soviet Union. Britain hoped for more peaceful relations now Stalin was gone
  • He wanted to avoid war but to continue competition with the West for influence around the world
• How important were Anglo-Russian relations in the 1960s/70s


  • - USSR regarded us as less important as they concentrated their attention more on the USA
  • We still regarded the USSR as our one principal potential enemy
  • Each side was involved in spying. (September 1971, we expelled 10 Soviet diplomats accused of espionage)
  • Britain was still concerned about the build-up of Soviet forces after the Cuban Missile crisis
• How important were Anglo-Russian relations in the 1980's


  • - Thatcher got on well with Gorbachev. She stated that 'we can do business together'
  • Both travelled to each other's countries
  • Thatcher was very openly anti-communism and determined to strengthen Europe's nuclear defences
• Evidence of friendship and hostility in Anglo-Russian relations

  • Friendship:
  • In October 1955 both navies exchanged goodwill visits
  • Various visits by different leaders (Thatcher went to Moscow and Khrushchev & Gorbachev went to London)

  Hostility:

  • The West always regarded the Eastern Bloc as communist
  • From the mid 1950's Soviets wanted to expand their empire in Asia and Africa at the expense of Britain's colonies
• As one of the 'Big Three' after WWII Britain played a key role in establishing the UN in 1945
• The UN Charter includes points such as the maintenance of international peace and security, prevention of aggression, promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, and addressing economic, social, and humanitarian problems
• It has been important to British governments to present their actions as conforming to the principles of the UN, due to media pressure for international and domestic support
• How has Britain's overseas policy been influenced by its role in the UN? Falklands


  • Evidence that our policy conformed to the UN:
  • The Argentines were aggressive toward the Falklands
  • The Argentines threatened international peace and security

  Evidence we didn't conform:

  • We did not carry out a peaceful settlement of the international dispute
• Why did the Conservative governments of the 1950's & 1960's not want to join the EEC?

  • The Conservatives hoped to make the colonial Empire and the Commonwealth a trading bloc stronger than the EEC

  2. Disliked the commitment to closer political integration

  3. Did not believe France & Germany could overcome centuries of hostility
• Domestic divisions over Britain's role in Europe

  • The role of the fall of empire: - Macmillan realised that Britain's empire had no future, tried to establish a new relationship with Europe

  European Free Trade Association: - this was an alternative to the EEC that would not tie us to European integration

  Economic difficulties by 1961: - the scale of Britain's economic difficulties convinced Macmillan and other pro-Europeans in both major parties that Britain needed to join the Common Market
• Arguments for and against nukes

  • For:

  1. Fear of USSR attacking and no US protection

  2. The British nuclear deterrent contributed to the defence of Western Europe

  3. Possession of an independent deterrent maintains Britain's 'great' power status

  Against:

  4. Since 1962 our nuclear programme has relied on the Americans

  5. The British nuclear deterrent is irrelevant when compared to the US or USSR's nuclear arsenals

  6. The heavy cost in maintaining the deterrent reduces government investment in other areas
• Thatcher did not sympathise with the women protesters at Greenham Common
• How successfully did Britain deal with the problems of decolonization and the changing nature of the Commonwealth?


  • The growth of colonial nationalism:
  • Resentment of empire made nationalist movements rise, encouraged by Nasser in challenging British rule
  • The anti-colonial propaganda of the USSR and China

  The Central African Federation (CAF):

  • To make smaller & weaker colonies economically and politically stronger the Conservative government attempted to unite adjacent territories

  Ghana (G for Good):

  • In 1938 Britain responded to riots by granting universal suffrage and created an elected parliament. The leader wanted to work with the UK
  • When Ghana finally got its independence in 1957 it seemed to be a model of withdrawal with a minimum of violence

  Cyprus:

  • The island is split into 2 different nationalities (80% are Greek, 20% are Turkish)
  • The Greek Cypriots started a terror campaign to expel British authorities
  • In 1960 Macmillan persuaded the island to have a Greek president with a Turkish vice-president, but the island was partitioned in 1974 and remains that way still today

  Kenya:

  • The Asian community=business, white settlers=good land, black national groups= bad land
  • Macmillan was the PM who decided to grant independence in 1963 after GB had previously stopped it. British people quickly left Kenya, realising the struggle that would come with racial divisions after decolonisation

  Nigeria:

  • North=Muslims and South= Christians
  • When GB handed independence to Nigeria, the new government was comprised of both Muslims and Christians, to represent both religious groups
  • However, after only 7 years, the country descended into a huge civil war, showing how British policy was not successful
• How successfully did Britain deal with the changing nature of the Commonwealth?

  • South Africa:
  • In 1961 South Africa left the Commonwealth rather than face the criticism of its apartheid policies from other members
  • During the 1970's and 1980's members of the Commonwealth repeatedly criticised Britain's economic ties with South Africa

  The 1962 Commonwealth Immigration Act:

  • This was resented by the black nations because it was clearly designed to limit black immigration to Britain

  Survival of the Commonwealth:

  • It has survived as its head since 1952 Queen Elizabeth II is highly regarded by its members, showing her commitment to it
  • Despite its lack of power, it remains a respected medium for cultural and economic exchange and for promoting important democratic values