British Diplomatic Oil Crisis: Contemporary Anglo-Saxon Geopolitical Rivalries in the Persian Gulf: Drawing a Lesson? Or Sir Anthony Eden‘s Delusion of Grandeur.

During
the First World War the Labour Party had already adopted the
mandate principle of the future League of Nations and also made
international control a focal point of its colonial programme. In
this there were two aims: ‘to prevent a new rivalry for colonial
acquisitions among the world powers, and to replace capitalist
exploitation by a policy of reform which would “develop backward
people” and prepare them for self-government’.54

In addition to the two
above mentioned goals, not only did the
Labour Party want ‘a detailed formulation of the mandate principle
and a well-defined system of international control; it was even more
concerned with subordinating all the colonies to the League of
Nations.’ 55 In the following years the
Labour Party demanded to extend the mandate principle to all
European colonies. However, the SFIO (French Socialist Party),
unlike the British Labour Party, was interested in assimilation and
not self-government, which was the object of the mandate policy, and
thus showed no interest in the British Labour Party’s initiatives.

Labour’s opposition to
colonial acquisition among the world powers
helped to establish a certain basis of trust between Britain and the
nationalist leaders.

This examination firmly
indicates that the Labour Party is overtly
ideological. It stresses the need for equality, equality between
classes and between races. It insists on equality of opportunity
and, even, equality or near- equality of rewards. Social persuasion
is given a very high priority by the Labour Party. It advocates an
extension of public ownership and/or control. In foreign affairs the
Labour Party is ‘far less hesitant about cutting defence expenditure
and closing overseas bases than any Conservative government is ever
likely to be.’ 56 It is ‘parochial and
fervently anti-colonial.’ 57 On the eve of
the 1951 general

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