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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the bases
that she retained during the decolonisation process in places such as
Aden, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Hong Kong and
Singapore, with the Americans for use,
all under NATO (in South East Asia SEATO and in the Middle East
CENTO).

As
Britain’s relation with Europe is closer than at any time before, by being
an active member of the EEC,
the third policy of Macmillan, though not during
his Premiership, has eventually succeeded. First was the
decolonisation and the
establishment of the Modern Commonwealth, second the “special
relationships
with the USA, and thirdly the entry into the EEC. It could be said that the
foundations,
laid in 1945-63 have stood the test of time. This is also due to the
fact that the “special
relationship” in the 1980s has remained alive. Moreover
Britain in the 1980s has maintained a close
economic and political relationship
with the Commonwealth countries, even though there are arguments among
the
Commonwealth nations, for example, over how to combat South Africa’s
Apartheid regime.
Nevertheless, on most issues there are multi-lateral
agreements. This is due to the fact that most member
countries of the
Commonwealth see benefits from their membership in this “club”. The
existence
of the Commonwealth gives each member country more political weight, and as
for the economy,
all the members: benefit by being members in this institution as
a result of the strategy launched in
practice in the Colombo Plan of 1950,
involving mutual trade and aid.

The
history of decolonisation, that is, of the movement of granting political
independence to the Colonies, can
be traced back to the struggle for independence
of the English Colonies in North America. After the love of
the American
Colonies, London sought, subsequently, to prevent a break with the settlers in
other part
of the world by preparing the way for self-government and, later by
granting Dominion status. Thus the
British Empire began, under the guidance of
London, to evolve into the British Commonwealth and finally, in
the effort to
maintain British interests between 1945-63, into the Modern Commonwealth. In

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