Sixties: Foreign

Question 1

What were the government’s own foreign policy aims?

Answer 1

1. maintain and strengthen special relationship
2. maintain and strengthen security in context of cold war and defence
3. maintain and strengthen UK’s trading and economic interests
4. maintain and strengthen progressive and civilised values
5. maintain and strengthen an effective commonwealth

Question 2

What was the state of the special relationship in 1960s?

Answer 2

• Wilson was pro-American and wanted to ensure USA stayed committed to defence of Europe (especially after USSR’s invasion of Czechoslovakia 1968)
• USA key economic ally
• US involvement in Vietnam put increasing pressure on Wilson

Question 3

What happened to the special relationship?

Answer 3

1. diplomatic but not military support for USA in Vietnam
2. continued reliance on US for nuclear defence and economic support
3. USA criticised limitations of Wilson’s support (eg after August 1964 Tonkin Gulf) and US full scale involvement
4. Wilson requested audience with Johnson to advise against further military involvement and insisted on a ‘close relationship’
5. Labour’s left and leftist protesters criticised Wilson’s support
6. 1970 USA didn’t support Rhodesia as they became a Republic

Question 4

What was Britain and Europe’s relations like in the 1960s?

Answer 4

• attempted and failed application into EEC in 1967 for economic reasons
• Wilson visited all 6 EEC states
• Labour’s left eg Castle and Foot opposed EEC membership
• only De Gaulle refused to accept UK despite Wilson and Brown visiting him in 1967
• application helped appease europhiles and failure pleased opponents

Question 5

What was Labour’s policy surrounding decolonisation?

Answer 5

• Wilson and other Labour ministers wanted to continue the UK’s role overseas as a nuclear world power
• continue some decolonisation
• economic realities made this challenging

Question 6

What happened to “east of Suez” and decolonisation policy?

Answer 6

• initial consideration of expansion east of suez (1965)
• then acceleration of withdrawal from empire (1967) largely due to economic factors; troops withdrawn from Aden, Middle East and Singapore
• defence spending fell to below £2 billion by 1970 + development of TSR2 plane abandoned as too costly

Question 7

What contradicted foreign policy of decolonisation?

Answer 7

• continue to deploy Polaris and upgrade in 1967

- September 1963 68,000 troops support for Malaysia vs Indonesia in border dispute until 1966

Question 8

What was the situation in Southern Rhodesia?

Answer 8

• minority regimes in Southern Africa resisted majority rule and in 1965 Ian Smith announced UDI with white minority rule
• “act of rebellion against the crown”
• 1969 referendum severing all ties to British passed by 61,130 to 14,327
• became Republic 2nd March 1970

Question 9

How was Wilson not to blame for issue in Southern Rhodesia?

Answer 9

• despite oil sanctions West Germany, Switzerland + South Africa still traded
• Sep 1964 Portuguese PM promised “maximum support” to Ian Smith if he declared independence

Question 10

What policy did Wilson follow in Southern Rhodesia and what was the result?

Answer 10

• sanctions on petroleum products and military hardware + by dec 1966 barred purchase of copper and sugar
• negotiations in 1966 HMS Tiger + 1968 HMS Fearless
• Commission of enquiry’s compromise (majority rule in 30yrs) was rejected by African population
• Wilson refused to use violence against “kith + kin”
• despite looking weak and Labour left unhappy, Estado Novo gov in Portugal + National Party gov in South Africa refused to recognise Rhodesia as independent