The Foreign Policy Of Churchill's Peacetime Administration 1951-1955

In October 1951, the British Conservative Party defeated the Labour Party in the General Elections of Britain and took office. Churchill came back to power as the Prime Minister for the second time, while Britain's national strength was going downward during that period. Globally, the world pattern is dominated by the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. In order to address the challenges under the international environment in the post-war period and to cope with Britain's declined national strength, Churchill and the Conservative Party sought to make changes in Britain's foreign policies. The formulation and implementation of Britain's foreign policies in the peacetime during this post-war period demonstrated Churchill's strategy of Three Circle Diplomacy.The thought of Three Circle Diplomacy had taken its shape shortly after the Second World War, while several years later in 1948, this strategy was officially proposed and established. In 1951 when the Conservatives took the office, the Three Circle Diplomacy was set as a guiding principle in the implementation of Britain's foreign policies. The British Commonwealth and the British Empire were the first circle of the three circles, which accounted for the most strength for Britain's state power. Therefore, Churchill government took strong measures for the the Commonwealth and British colonies, trying to ensure Britain's control of areas with strategic significance, in order to fulfill the_transition_from_British_Empire_to_the_Commonwealth. The English-speaking world, including the United States, in fact particularly the special relationship between the U.S. and Britain, formed the second circle and the foundation of the three circles. The conservative government attached great importance to the Anglo-American relationship. In general, Britain cooperated with the United States under the framework of the Atlantic alliance, but that did not mean that Britain was subservience to the U.S. While strengthening the Anglo-American relationship, Britain also tried to make the U.S. strategy go in line with its own interests and needs. The Europe, as a united integration, is the third circle of the three circles. Churchill government had to take into consideration of the issues of European economic integration and the rearmament of The Federal Republic of Germany. As Britain supported the unity of the Europe, it hoped to give a support as an external body and to connect with a united Europe as a global gaint instead of joining this union of Europe. As for the issues of the European defense integration and the rearmament of The Federal Republic of Germany, despite that Britain was not willing to join European defence integration, it still make efforts and ultimately helped to complete the rearmament of The Federal Republic of Germany.The Three Circles Diplomacy had profound influence in the post-war Britain's foreign policies. Churchill government followed the diplomatic principle of the Three Circles Diplomacy in foreign affairs in the peacetime so as to turn up Britain's decline and maintain its past superpower status. Taking a panorama perspective of the conservative government's diplomatic activities, it was reasonable to conclude that its foreign policies, while failed to stop the decline of Britain, still helped to uphold the British national interests to some extent.