British foreign policy 1955-64: contracting options

In 1945 Britain was still a world power. Increasingly, however, it had to adapt its international commitments: to the financial limitations of relative economic decline; to costly technological progress, especially in nuclear weapons; and to the external challenges of European integration, colonial nationalism and Soviet imperialism. The need to make substantial adjustments was particularly obvious during the premierships of Eden, Macmillan and Douglas-Home from 1955 to 1964. However, Britain's future international priorities and the necessary financial and military cutbacks were highly controversial. Based throughout on newly accessible sources, the twelve chapters of this book analyse systematically Britain's foreign policy-making and its regional relationships in the world, thus providing the reader with a comprehensive overview of Britain's foreign relations in this crucial transition period.