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Foreign Relations 51-64 x (Suez 1956 (Eden encouraged by france and Isreal…
Foreign Relations 51-64 x
EFTAand attempts to join the EEC
Shuman Plan of 1950- Coal and steel community to integrate French and German Heavy Industry
Britain originally did not want a lot of involvement in the Schuman plan
Few politicians or journalists in favour of leading European role
Left was suspicious of free markets
Right wanted to preserve traditional trade ie common weakth
issue for continental europe
People still saw Britain as a great world power
Europe balanced with Atlantic Alliance
Lessen the historic enemy's and bind together
supported by Britain and US ( important during Cold War)
EEC
International conference in 1955 Sicily where the British 'observed and encouraged' but did not join
EEC launched by Rome in 1957 without Britian
De Gaulle the French president from 58 wanted to protect it from the US through Britian
EFTA
Britain took the lead in its formation
European Free Trade Assosiation with Austria Denmark Norway Portugal Sweden and Switzerland
outer 7 and the inner 6
only moderately successful and couldn't match EEC
Britain's application to the EEC
Why?
boost industry through export market
industrial efficiency through competition
stimulate economic growth and expansion as already see in the EEC
US wanted Britain to join as a link to Europe needed by the |cold war tensions rising in 1950
Britians imperial power shaken by suez and the decolonisation of Africa
1961 Britain applied to the EEC under Macmillian
Problems
Britain wanted to keep its trade with the US and Commonwealth in ways that would be blocked by EEC rules
Edward Heath took months to come to an agreement
Successful negotiations ended in 1963 and de Gaulle vetoed by surprise in
After the veto Britain and France suffered a bad relationship for some time and Britain was out of the EEC
Relations with the USA and USSR
US Britain and the USSr were allies in WW2
After WW2 Britain and Us remained allies against communism
Britain was a founding member of Nato in 1949 and British troops were stationed in West Germany
Britian supported the US in Korea and in West Berlin
Kennedy kept Macmillian informed in the Cuban Missal crisis
Negatives with the US
Suez crisis
Cuban Missile crisis
communist Cuba asked the USSR to station nuclear weapons there, US was afraid as it was only 90 miles away so blocked soviet ships Soviet eventually backed down and Us removed nuces from Italy and turkey- closest the world has ever come to nuclear war
Briain and the EEC
Britain dependant on American power and militarily overstretched as seen by the cost of nuclear detterents
Burgess and Maclean's defecting to the Soviet Union in 1951 . Couldn't find 3rd mole and meant US was reluctant to share secret intelligence
Debates over Nuclear Deterrent
After the war war Labour committed to developing independant nuclear detterant
The US had stopped sharing Nuclear secrets
If Britian wanted to be a nucler power ten it would need to do it itself
Ernest Bevin in 1964-' I dont want any other forgien secretary to be talked at agin by a secretar of state in the US. have the bloody union Jack on top of it'
Chruchill continued this policy and the first atomic tests were 1952
3rd in the world after the US and USSR
Britians H bomb wasnt until 1957
Concerns started in 1958 and CND ( Campaign for nuclear dissarment)
Most powerful pressure group in Britian
Wanted the rejection of nuclear weapons and UND
8000 people took part in demonstartion at weapsons research base Aldermaston in 1958- 59 was even bigger
Powerful magnet for anti-governemnt protests
1958 the US agreed to share Nuclear secrets again under the Mutual Defence Agreement
Britians rocket Blue Streak abandoned 1960
dependance on American Polaris submarine weapons system
As it became clear Britian would not hae an independant system some more sceptical labour party began to support it
Korean War
1950-53
Korea used to be owned by Japan
After WW2 the North wazs the USSR and the South was US
1950 forces form north Korea and supported by the USSR and China invaded the south
UN did not agreeand sent combat forces
over 20 countries supplied troops
Britian sent 90,000 2nd biggets after the US itself
over 1000 british troops killed
Heavy fight resulted in a stalemate ceasefire agreed in 1953
In the end Korea had a communist North and a non-communist South
Showed the cold war being fought world wide and Britains willingness to play a major role
Suez 1956
Ran from the Mediterranean through to the Indian Ocean and was a major trade route
80% of europes oil imports ran through the canal
Egyptian independance under Colonel Nassar
US and Great Britian planned to inest in Answan Dam but pulled out in 1956
In response Nasser announced the nationalisation of the Suez canal to provide finace for the dam
Placed them on the Soiet side of the Cold war
Eden was a forgien policy expert but was influenced
Belived in Britain as an imperial power
opposed the appeasment of 1930
Saw Nassar as an evil dictator who couldnt get away with it
Most of Edens Cabinet agreed with him including Macmillian
Eden encouraged by france and Isreal and met in secret in Paris
Isreal would invade Egypt
British and french would intervene to enforce peace
Real effect would be to seize conrol of the canal
Concieled the plans form Parliment and the Americans
Put into place 29th october 1956a dn the Anglo-french invasion saw a storm of protests
Labour opposed the action
Us opposed the action and in 1956 Uk financially depended on the Us
Macmillian was one of the first to realise they must pull out
Eden and britians reputation was damaged
As a force for good
Saw Britian couldnt act without America
Britain economic and financial policy had a direct effect on forgien policy
Undermined the belief that the new global situation after the WW2 did not hae Britian as a world power
The Winds of Change and Decolonialisation
By 1951 the retreat had already begun
1947 withdrael from india
By 1950'd the pressure was on more
Every empire faced challengeds ie France Belgium and Portugal
Britain found themselves fighting against independance movement in Malaya kenya and Vyprus
1950's britians rulers wanted gradual change from Empire to new commonwealth
Mau Mau rebellion
1947, the lader of the revolt was Kenyatta
Imprisoned but later emerged as president of independant Kenya
1950s the stuggle lead to bitterness on both sides
Mau Mau fighters committed atrocities
Treatment of prisoners at hola prison camp badly damaged Britains rep
After suez the policy makers reconsidered the pace of decolonialisation
1957 Ghana
Nigeria and cyprus in 1960
Tanganyika dna Sierra Leone in 1961
Kenya in 1963
Macmillain
Before 1960s the cneral aim was to keep the empire and defeat national revolts .
south africans voted in a reffurendum later that year for independance
Macmillians speech 1960 at Cape Town was a significant change of policy calling for decolonisation
Policy was very successful
fast
very little vioelnce
1964 transition from empire to commonwealth was an achievement