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

1

Introduction.

This book is concerned
with the British political elite and the ending of
Empire. It is concerned with the policy ideas and
political attitudes of the British
political elite regarding the process of decolonisation of the British
Empire, or the
political elite’s idealogical and policy adjustments in Britain to the situations
and
circumstances which led to the granting of independence to the colonies. The
safeguarding of British
interests is the main issue and how this shaped the
approach of the British political elite in the period
that Britain gave full
nationhood or independence to her colonies, and set up first, the
British
Commonwealth, comprising the white Dominions, which later developed into the
Modern
Commonwealth, an institution incorporating the British Commonwealth
(Australia, New Zealand and Canada) and
the new nations (ex-colonies) in Africa
and Asia. The period during which the majority of the colonies in the
British
Empire received their independence, and the Modern Commonwealth evolved,
was between
1945-63.

British interests
consisted of her world role, which meant political power
and influence. The huge and already established
investments, trade, culture, way
of life and prestige of the empire were things on which Britain’s world
power
largely rested. Last but not least, there were military or defence interests. It was
all related
to one very important (if not all important) factor: this was the
economic factor which progressively united
the landed class, merchants,
investors and the top of the state as the prime beneficiaries of the Empire.
They
thus merged into what became to be known as the “Establishment” (i.e. the elite).
Those
members of the imperial class or “Establishment” who were in a position
of ultimate decision-making
were the strategists or the political elite. They were
the fashioners of the British Empire. They had to make
assessments on how,
where and when British imperial power should be used, or whether economic
interests
should be pursued or ignored, or where British imperial power should

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