British Foreign Policy 1951-1964

British Foreign Policy 1951-1964

British Empire in 1951

• Britain still Governed an empire, but countries were beginning to gain independence from this empire, starting with India and Pakistan in 1947
• Nationalism was on the rise and so was the desire for African and Asian countries to self-rule
• The empire was turning into a ‘commonwealth’ of Independent nations linked to Britain by trade, customs, language and History
• Many British people emigrated to New Zealand, Australia and Canada.

Cost of the empire

• 1948-1960, Britain fought to communist Guerrilla war in Malaya
• 1952-1960, Britain fought the Mau Mau uprising against British rule in Kenya
• 1955, Britain fought communist rebels in Canada
• All of these small battles came more of a burden than as a benefit to Britain.

National Service

• Between 1948-1960, all British men (17-21) had to do 18 months national service
• National servicemen were sent to fight in Kenya and Malaya
• The end of National Service in 1960 caused a generation gap and social change
• 750,000 men was cut in half

The Suez Crisis

• Suez canal was big to Britain’s empire and Nasser, in Britain’s eyes, had no right to claim it as his own
• The Western powers believed that Nasser was moving towards the communist world, in response, they suddenly withdrew funding of the dam project
• The canal was vital supply route for oil from the middle east, Anthony Eden said it was ‘intolerable that Nasser should have his thumb on our windpipe’
• Nasser was encouraging Arab rebels in other countries to fight off Western influence, and this was possibly the end of Britain’s reign in this area
• The canal had been closed to all Israeli shipping. Israel had close ties with USA and France
• A secret plot…