After The War The British Cultural Factors In The Evolution Of European Policy

This dissertation is an analysis of the British government's policies towardsEurope after the Second World War focusing on its cultural traditions and present realities, trying to demonstrate that culture is the most profound force of such policies.The British government formed its policies towards Europe during the end of forties, that is, reinforced the importance of the Anglo-American special relations in Britain's external affairs. During the beginning of sixties, in order to adapt itself to the international changes and challenges and adjust the traditional foreign policy models and orders, Macmillan changed his policies towards Europe to defend Great Britain's image and position as a great nation. In practice, however, Macmillan still conformed to conventional pattern by which he paid much attention to the vested interest, although he personally tried to overstep the "three-circle" mode. All these happened because he still modeled the policy on the basis of "three-circle" mode. Hence, the pragmatist foreign policies of Great Britain known for its flexibility cannot get rid of the traditional influences on reform.The debates on Atlanticism and Europeanism reflect Britain's diplomatic dilemma, especially during M. Thatcher's conservative government. The debate on the relationship between Britain and European integration was made mainly between "pro-Europeans" and "anti-Europeans". The active attitude of Britain labor government to cooperate with the Europe integration is' mainly under the consideration of its national interests. Tony Blair followed and developed the "three-circle" strategy initiated by Winston Churchill for Britain's foreign policy after the Second World War. Tony Blair holds that, although Britain has lost its empire and does not belong to powers of the first rank, it can play a major role in international affairs. This attitude is not contradictory to the social democratic value of labor government and the idea of the "third way" and could be explained by the theory of social democracy. Britain would like to play a dominant role when integrating into Europe and strengthen its role of bridge between EU and U.S.A.