111 Gu|de||nes of 8r|t|sh Iore|gn o||cy up to 194S

8rlLaln adopLed Lhe balances of power

or lLs own securlLy and Lhe proLecLlon of Lhe sea ways
L descrlbes a naLlon of equlllbrlum (glelchhelL) ln whlch no naLlon ls able Lo domlnaLe oLhers
L was lmporLanL for 8rlLaln Lo prevenL any Luropean naLlon from domlnaLlng Lhe Luropean
malnland channel
8rlLaln as a pollcy of reLlcence (doesn'L wanL Lo geL lnvolved ln Luropean affalrs) as long as lLs
own lnLeresLs were noL aL sLake
#splendld solaLlon" helped Lo sLrengLhen Lhelr relaLlon Lo Lhe uS and secured Lhem us
supporL ln WW and WW
ne of Lhelr fundamenLal prlnclples was Lo prevenL Lhe rlse of any equal or superlor sea
power Lo lLs own
When Lhe Cerman emplre bullL a rlval fleeL ln Lhe end of Lhe 19
Lh
cenLury Lhe pollcy of
Luropean solaLlonlsm was abandoned and replaced by a sysLem of alllcances wlLh rance
and 8ussla 8rlLaln creaLed an equlllbrlum agalnsL Cermany
n 1940 when 8rlLaln faced a posslble Cerman lnvaslon Lhe #Lhlrd 8elch" goL defeaLed wlLh
Lhe help of Lhe Allles (Lhe uS Lhe uomlnlons Lhe uSS8)
World War meanL Lhe end of 8rlLaln's domlnanL poslLlon ln Lhe world and of lL's forelgn
pollcy

112 8esulLs of World War

Lurope losL lLs poslLlon as a supremacy
lL had been Lhe pollLlcal economlc and culLural cenLre of Lhe wesLern world and ma[or sclenLlflc
And Lechnologlcal revoluLlons had been developed Lhere
n 1939 Luropeans were ln conLrol of more Lhan a Lhlrd world's land and sea area

1he war lnduced Lurope's LoLal breakdown
Mllllons of people dled
Lurope's economlc power was desLroyed
L losL lL's lmporLanL poslLlon ln Lhe World
1943 marked Lhe end of Lhe colonlal emplres
uurlng Lhe posLwar perlod Lhe Lwo superpowers 1he us and Lhe uSS8 rose a pollLlcal and
ldeologlcal dlvlslon of Lhe 'old conLlnenL' lnLo a easLern and a wesLern parL dlvlded by Lhe lron curLaln
was Lhe resulL of Lhe war
1he sovleLs capuLerd Lhe easLern bloc and Lhe us wesLern Luropean counLrles wlLh plenLy economlc
help

osLWar 8rlLaln
8rlLaln ln a compleLely new poslLon
1he war puL an end Lo Lhe greaLesL emplre whlch had 'ruled Lhe seas '
L losL lLs leadlng poslLlon Lo Lhe uS and Lhe uSS8
Lconomlcally weak and lndebLed Lo Lhe uS
1he navy was only Lhlrd ln rank
L had become vulnerable Lo aLLacks as any oLher counLry

Summlng lL up brlLaln had losL economlc pollLlcal and mlllLary leadershlp of Lhe world

11 4 1he Luropean Un|on 1oday

onslsLs of 23 member sLaLes
1he world's largesL Lradlng power
overlng a Lhlrd of world Lrade


1he prlme mlnlsLer Mrs 1haLcher made clear LhaL her parLy's ob[ecLlve was a Luropean
ommunlLy #of lndependenL soverelgn sLaLes worklng LogeLher ln cooperaLlon"
1he Labour CovernmenL of 1ony 8lalr supporLs Lhe ldea of a Lurope conslsLlng of
lndependenL sLaLes
Pe Lrled Lo achleve Lhe soclal charLer Lo glve some mlnlmal rlghLs Lo Lhe workers llke worklng
Llme parenLal leave buL lL goL re[ecLed for years
n 1997 lL goL flnally accepLed by Lhe labour CovernmenL
Anyhow Lhe LurobaromeLer sLlll showed a negaLlve aLLlLude of Lhe brlLlsh publlc ln 2006


Many 8rlLlsh would llke Lo [oln Lhe Lu AcLually Lhe mlnorlLy of Lhe populaLlon has sLlll reservaLlons
and doubLs concerlng varlous aspecLs of Lu pollLlcs and Lhelr fuLur developmenL