After the end of the Second World War in which, to Britain, it was nearly a repeat of the First World War that Britain had experienced the same things as the aftermaths. The war put severe strains on her economic resources as well as the undermining of her export markets. Even though Britain had won the war, the impacts on Britain afterwards were not always positive, in that, as everyone know, war created tragedy. It did not make any good to anybody, even the winner. The victors also had to spend expenditures on reconstructing the destructive infrastructures. Money was not the only main factor that was primarily used to rearrange the whole society, but it took time as well. After the war, a certain country may have to lose something she did not intended to like in case of the Britain that though she won the Second World War, unexpectedly, she had to give freedom to her colonials. Why was that?
As a result of a war, as I have mentioned, it definitely created a huge negative impact on a certain country as in this case of the Britain, a post war condition was so bad that some of the right-wing historians have condemned the whole war effort as inefficient and as a major cause to responsible for an upcoming subsequent British economic. (www.fordham.edu)
After the discontinue of the World War II, the Britain succumbed to an illusion that she could remain in a status of one of the world’s greatest superpowers, because at that time, she still possessed a huge empire as well as a fairly good relationship with the United States of America, a country that always achieved a status of the world’s superpower. Both of these countries were also shared a good partnership in the Cold War as well. As a consequence, Britain still considered herself as one of the major countries that can influence the world affair as Ernest Bevin , the Foreign Secretary of Britain after 1945, did. His purpose was to remain Britain as one of the three major powers like the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics:
Ernest Bevin was prepared to strain the British economy to breaking point. By 1950 Britain still had an army of 900,000 men, something unheard of in peacetime, and she spent 14 per cent of her gross national product on defense (Pugh, 1999: 220)
Britain wanted complete support to prevent Germany’s hegemony in Europe, but the people of the United States believed Japan was the real enemy. This became evident during the two most important conferences of World War II between the United States and Great Britain that established a solid coalition; Casablanca and Trident.
...rom the war unlike the countries who participated at the start. Many of the European countries lost a lot of power and started taking a passive attitude towards war, which weakened them to a great extent. A war so destructive costing millions of lives and billions of dollars. It brought forth many new technology of mass destruction and continued to contribute into new types of weapon development. New technology can be helpful and evil at the same time. Strategies and combat techniques were developed to maximize the potential of the weapons. These new ways of fighting only to come deadlier by the day. It deformed the land, tortured soldiers, and brought death along with it. A whole generation of young soldiers were lost and to never able to see the day of light ever again. The worst war ever to be told that left a historical moment and a permanent fear of future wars.
As time passed, however, Britain’s standing a Great Power quickly diminished. Despite this, British possession of nuclear weapons, United Nations Security Council membership, access to political an...
The British economy and financial system was damaged significantly because of the war. The next years after Queen Elizabeth II crowning; she took on her full responsibilities as queen. The rebuilding took place within the walls of palace. Many meetings and intellectual minds coming together to make things happen. Queen Elizabeth II saw a lot of changes through her reign, but in the 1970’s economic hardship was spreading throughout and rising including the royal family. Queen Elizabeth once again with her strong-willed persona did not sit around she made things happen and the rebuilding of Britain was very important to her and her people. Queen Elizabeth II and the reconstruction of Great Britain were toward the rise of the Commonwealth Nations in which is now 54 members strong.
The result of World War II had tragic results for Japan, Germany, and also Italy. The United States and the Allies came out victorious once again but the cost of war greatly affected all the countries. Germany, Japan, and Italy now have more debts to pay and also lost much of their territory once again. The war took many lives and also ended up destroying many beautiful cities. World War II showed how not just the soldiers were affected in the war, but everyone in all the different countries were affected by the war.
During the Cold War and twentieth century there were several processes that influenced colonization and decolonization. To be examined is what the characters reveal about the colonization processes, the involvement of industrialization, the change in identities of the characters, and lastly the social and political changes during the cold war will be discussed.
The war also had an affect on the way people lived their lives. Before the war the citizens within each country felt a temporary relief from their internal divisions. Many men diliberatley enlisted themselves into the army and the women supporting them every step of the way. During the war foreigners recieved harsh treatments and were forced to do labor for the country they are in. They were also exposed to brutal conditions and were mistreated. There were a limited supply of resources since most of the supplies are being sent to the soldiers in war. Many women had to work in the factories in ord...
"The wind of change is blowing through this [African] continent, and whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact. We must all accept it as a fact, and our national policies must take account of it" (Macmillan). This speech, made by the prime minister of England in 1960, highlights the vast changes occurring in Africa at the time. Changes came quickly. Over the next several years, forty-seven African countries attained independence from colonial rule. Many circumstances and events had and were occurring that led to the changes to which he was referring. The decolonization of Africa occurred over time, for a variety of complex reasons, but can be broken down into two major contributing factors: vast changes brought about in the world because of World War II and a growing sense of African nationalism.
Wars are good business. They create an immediate demand for a wide variety of materials needed by the government in order to fight the war. They create work opportunities for people that might not ordinarily be considered part of the normal work force. And, while not necessarily good for the soldiers engaged in the fighting, wars are always good for the businesses that provide the materials used in a war. The Second World War was very good for business.
Discuss the reasons why, in the period 1934-38, British critics of appeasement had such a limited impact on British policy towards Germany.
In the years following World War II, many scholars argue the United States and Britain have been bonded by a ‘special relationship.’ Since 1945, this relationship has resulted in several policies, both domestic and foreign. The ‘special relationship’ includes aspects in finances, allied forces during the Cold War, similar cultures and even personal relationships between leaders.
During the nineteenth century Great Britain had control over many different colonies all over the world. These colonies felt very safe being “under Britain’s wing.” This time period was called the Pax Britannica. There were multiple reasons for the colonies feeling safer with British control. First, Britain was extremely secure itself. Napoleon wasn’t even able to invade the island. Second, in the past Britain was able to keep the peace in it’s own country, during the reforms, without the need for a revolution. Third, Britain controlled key trade routes so the strong Royal Navy was present in all of the world’s waters.
Britain was bankrupt after the Second World War and it had a negative impact on Britain and its society. The British Empire decreased drastically resulting in many soldiers, generals and civilians returning but Britain was very different after the war due to its cities being severely bombed. This added to the feeling of depression and nostalgia which weighed heavily on people.
Although, nothing can be further from the truth. Wars are expensive. The cost of the Second World War is estimated at about 1.944 trillion US dollars worldwide. Large wars create a shock to the economy of the participating countries. Even though there can some short term positive effects, in the long run, war generally cuts off economic development and undermines prosperity.
Margaret Thatcher is an iconic political figure that goes down in history as the longest serving, and only woman, British Prime Minister in the history of politics in the United Kingdom. Famous for her stern political stance and policies on international policies and relations, Thatcher was nick-named the ‘Iron Lady’, a name that well stuck with her considering her general approach to policies and outlook into international politics. Having served Britain for 20 years, Thatcher stands as an important political figure that brought with her great political changes in the United Kingdom. Not only is she notable for her efforts to revolutionize the British economy from Statism to Liberalism, but also her unending efforts to lower inflation and greatly reduce the high unemployment levels that were present in the country when she took office. Thatcher not only involved herself with her home politics, but also those of other countries bringing Britain politics to the international map. She became a commonly familiar figure with Ronald Reagan, the then President of the United States of America, and even most surprisingly gained praise and popularity with the then Soviet Union leader, Gorbachev. During her long and eventful stay in office, Thatcher attracted praise and criticism in equal measure. Nevertheless, she remains a political enigma in relation to British and International politics.