British Labour and the Cold War

British Labour and the Cold War
Author: Peter Weiler
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 456
Release: 1988
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780804714648

A critical examination of the labour government and trades Union Congress in the immediate postwar period, this book argues that the Cold War was not just a traditional conflict between states but also an attempt to contain the growth of radical working-class movements at home and abroad. These radical movements, stimulated by the Second World War and its aftermath, seemed to policymakers within the Labour Party and the TUC to threaten British interests. The author contends that the Labour government never seriously considered following a socialist foreign policy, but instead sought to shape political developments throughout the world in ways most conductive to maintaining Britain's traditional economic and imperial interests. The government was able to follow established policies abroad and increasingly at home at least in part because British trade union leaders supported its attempts to prevent radicals and communists from coming to power in trade union movements inside Britain and throughout the world. In so doing, the trade union movement significantly extended its links with the state, in particular by cooperating with it in the sphere of foreign and colonial labour policy.

British Foreign and Defence Policy Since 1945

British Foreign and Defence Policy Since 1945
Author: Robert Self
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2010-06-23
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0230313531

Foreign policy has dominated successive governments' time in office and cast a consistently long shadow over British politics in the period since 1945. Robert Self provides a readable and incisive assessment of the key issues and events from the retreat from empire through the cold war period to Humanitarian Intervention and the debacle in Iraq.

British Foreign Policy, 1945–56

British Foreign Policy, 1945–56
Author: Michael L. Dockrill
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 266
Release: 1989-06-18
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1349100781

A collection of essays by international historians which explore British diplomatic policy in the decade following the end of World War II. Topics include propaganda, atomic policy, Imperial problems, European unity and Britain's response to political crises in the Middle East and Far East.

The Foreign Office and British Diplomacy in the Twentieth Century

The Foreign Office and British Diplomacy in the Twentieth Century
Author: Gaynor Johnson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 251
Release: 2013-09-13
Genre: History
ISBN: 1136871969

This book examines the evolution of the Foreign Office in the 20th century and the way in which it has responded to Britain's changing role in international affairs. The last century was one of unprecedented change in the way foreign policy and diplomacy were conducted. The work of 'The Office' expanded enormously in the 20th century, and oversaw the transition from Empire to Commonwealth, with the merger of the Foreign and Colonial Offices taking place in the 1960s. The book focuses on the challenges posed by waging world war and the process of peacemaking, as well as the diplomatic gridlock of the Cold War. Contributions also discusses ways in which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to modernise to meet the challenges of diplomacy in the 21st century. This book was previously published as a special issue of the journal Contemporary British History.

Britain, Israel and Anglo-Jewry 1949-57

Britain, Israel and Anglo-Jewry 1949-57
Author: Natan Aridan
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 388
Release: 2004-08-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 1135767149

This book focuses on the bilateral and multilateral relations between Britain, the 'former proprietor' and Israel, the 'successor state', during the period following their armed clash in January 1949, to Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza and the Sinai in March 1957. It highlights the formulation of foreign policy decisions in Britain and Israel; Britain's special responsibility and influence, which affected Israel's relations with neighbouring Arab states; Israel's complex policy towards Britain; Anglo-Jewry's attitude towards Israel and the distinctive relationship between Israel's embassy in London and the Jewish community.

Britain and America After World War II

Britain and America After World War II
Author: Richard Wevill
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 302
Release: 2012-05-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0857722468

The period immediately after World War II was a vital one for diplomatic relations and, with the Soviet Union emerging as a new superpower, it was particularly important for Britain's relations with America. This is the first book to focus on the role of the British Embassy in Washington during this period. According to Richard Wevill, the British Embassy was pivotal in the fulfilment of key British foreign, financial and imperial policy objectives. Applying the implications of new archival material to the turning points of the period, including a detailed review of Lord Halifax's ambassadorship under Attlee, a re-evaluation of the part of Roger Makins in the atomic energy discussions, and the Embassy's influence in relation to Palestine, Wevill argues for a more nuanced understanding of the 'special relationship' in its most formative period. He offers a recasting of a crucial period of twentieth century history, providing fascinating new detail on Britain's relations with President Truman as well as with Secretaries of State George Marshall and Dean Acheson. Charting the beginnings of one of modern history's most influential alliances, this book will be a primary reference point for students and scholars of History, the Cold War, Politics and International Relations.

Britain, Southeast Asia and the Onset of the Cold War, 1945-1950

Britain, Southeast Asia and the Onset of the Cold War, 1945-1950
Author: Nicholas Tarling
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 508
Release: 1998-10-13
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780521632614

This detailed study throws light on the evolution of British policy in South-east Asia in the turbulent post-war period. Through extensive archival research and insightful analysis of the British mindset and official policy, Tarling demonstrates that South-east Asia was perceived as a region consisting of mutually co-operating new states, rather than a fragmented mass. The book covers the immediate post-war period until the Colombo plan and the outbreak of hostilities in Korea. A companion volume to Tarling's Britain, Southeast Asia and the Onset of the Pacific War, it finds parallels between Britain's approach to the threat of Japan and its approach to the threat of communism. It also shows that the British sought to shape US involvement, in part by involving other Commonwealth countries, especially India. This is a major contribution to the diplomatic and political history of South-east Asia.

The British Press and the Greek Crisis, 1943–1949

The British Press and the Greek Crisis, 1943–1949
Author: Gioula Koutsopanagou
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 379
Release: 2020-02-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1137551550

This book provides the first detailed analysis of how interactions between government policy and Fleet Street affected the political coverage of the Greek civil war, one of the first major confrontations of the Cold War. During this period the exponential growth of media influence was an immensely potent weapon of psychological warfare. Throughout the 1940s the press maintained its position as the most powerful medium and its influence remained unchallenged. The documentary record shows that a British media consensus was more fabricated than spontaneous, and the tools of media persuasion and manipulation were extremely important in building acceptance for British foreign policy. Gioula Koutsopanagou examines how this media consensus was influenced and molded by the British government and how Foreign Office channels were key to molding public attitudes to British foreign policy. These channels included system of briefings given by the News Department to the diplomatic correspondents, and the contacts between embassies and the British foreign correspondents.