The British Imperial Establishment, Post Imperial Era, and the ‘Churchillian’ World View, 1945-2016. (Adjustments & Challenges in Contemporary British Diplomatic Strategy)

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his
father’s suspiciousness towards Churchill: “He felt that in the period following
the
war…Churchill believed that Great Britain would have a bigger Empire and
greater influence, that he
would take advantage of the help given by America, and
that we would still be in a secondary
role.”17 America, as studies in Chapter Four
showed, was
determined, in blunt terms, to bring imperialism to an end.
Therefore, she used her financial power to
impose her will on Britain during and
after World War Two. ‘One thing we are sure we are not fighting
for is to hold
the British Empire together,”18 said a widely
read weekly magazine, in the United
States. Churchill replied to similar accusations: “I have not
become the King’s
First Minister in order to preside over the liquidation of the British
Empire.”19
The disputes went on. More financial and military
aid to Britain produced more
American demands to Britain in return, Eventually, the disagreements came to
a
head over India.

Referring to Chapter Five, 1t was said that India was angry over Britain
declaring war on India’s
behalf and putting almost two million of her men under
arms, without consulting India’s leaders.
Consequently, in 1942, Roosevelt
pressed Churchill to announce that India would be given independence and
to set
up an Interim government. One State Department official put it, “Why should
India defend
a freedom she hasn’t got?”20 Many of the British Cabinet agreed
that
concessions were essential. Therefore, reluctantly, Churchill, in 1942, sent Sir
Stafford
Cripps on his mission to negotiate with the leaders of the Indian
Congress Party about independence.
Although, as we have seen, it was the
succeedingLabour Government which proceeded with Indian
independence, their
policy had the approval of most of the Conservative leadership; afterall it
was
Churchill, a traditional imperial Conservative who had initiated talks of
independence in 1942,
as a result of the circumstances of the War – and no less
difficult circumstances, notably of an economic
and financial nature, continued
after 1945 and into the Fifties.

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