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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it was in the
Solomons.”11 Nevertheless, in the 1960s, a small degree of western-
style
changes were introduced, along democratic lines, but traditional political
patterns, it was hoped, would be
kept too. In the New Hebrides introduction of a
political solution was hampered by a comical type of
government. In 1887, and
later in 1906, a joint rule of British and French was imposed on the New
Hebrides.
This administration later developed into British, French and joint. As a result the
islanders
became angry, although elections were allowed at various levels of
government; but it was not until tale late
1970s when finally the French were
prepared to hand over control to local hands.

In the
case of small islands and bases which had helped to secure British
influence around the world, the pressure
on British began to mount and in any
case, with a declining world role there was a declining need for such
bases.
Cyprus received independence in 1960. Malta was granted full nationhood in
1964. Aden and its
hinterland also held strategic interest for Britain. Plans were
made in the 1950s and 1960s to transfer
political power to a federation of local
communities. The British government was also trying to secure the
friendship of
rulers in the hinterland by bringing peace and offering other assistance. This
approach
did not have any result in the face of powerful nationalist movement.
Eventually, after some fighting and
unsuccessful negotiations, independence was
granted to the People’s Republic of Southern Yemen in
1967.

Some
bases were not relinquished. Gibraltar wanted to stay a British
colony and was not prepared to give in to the
wishes of the Spanish government.
The Falkland Islands were caught in a claim of ownership between Argentina
and
Britain. There were other small island dependencies where only limited political
advance made any
sense St. Helena, the Pitcairn Islands, and the vast Antarctic
wastes. The Seychelles, however, with a
population just over fifty thousand,
obtained independence in 1976. As for Hong Kong, it was excluded
from
progress to independence by an external factor, and it continued to remain a

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