4.The Postwar Britain

In the summer of 1945ageneral election was held in Britain.Contrary to what all observers expected，the great war leader，Churchill，and his Conservative Party were defeated，and a Labour government was elected with a large majority in the House of Commons.The people associated the Conservatives with the unemployment and the appeasement policy of the 1930s，and intended that war should lead to a new society in which the common people should enjoy a far higher standard of living than hitherto，and in which the wealth of the rich should be redistributed for the benefit of the people.The chief method by which this was achieved was high taxation.Surtax on larger incomes was much higher；and death duties，by which up to 80%of a man’s property was confiscated at his death，had the effect of substantially reducing the standard of living and the whole way of life of a rich family within two or three generations.For ten years after the war both Labour and Conservative governments followed almost the same policy of high taxation.The result of this policy was a great increase in the standard of living of the working classes.

There was an even closer agreement between the Labour and Conservative Parties in foreign policy.In 1946Britain attached herself permanently to the American Alliance，and became economically and militarily so closely linked with the US that it became in effect impossible for her to pursue an independent foreign policy.It was at this moment that Britain ceased to be a great power.In 1957Harold Macmillan became Prime Minister.He continued the policy to maintain close relations with the US.Most important，he presided over the transformation of the British Empire to the British Commonwealth of Nations⁹.In the early 1960s，Ghana，Nigeria，Malaya，Singapore，and numerous other colonies were granted independence and Commonwealth status.

The Conservative victory in the 1970election brought Edward Heath to the office of prime minister.Promising to cut expenditures and taxes，reward initiative，and curb union power，the Conservatives were able to accomplish none of those aims.Heath’s major achievement was the United Kingdom’s admission to the European Economic Community（EEC）¹⁰ in 1973.The OPEC¹¹ oil price rises of 1972-74hurt Britain in the short run but also encouraged development of oil and gas fields in the North Sea，which made the nation a major petroleum exporter and helped revitalize its ecornomy.

Margaret Thatcher（1925- ）

In 1979，Mrs.Margaret Thatcher was elected as the first female Prime Minister in Britain.From the start，her autocratic style earned her the nickname of the“Iron Lady”.In 1982awar broke out between Britain and Argentina，as the latter occupied the Malvinas（“Falkland”）Islands（only 300miles east of Argentina），which Argentina had long claimed as her national territory.On May 21，1982British forces launched an attack and the Argentine forces surrendered on June 14.The British victory in a place 6，500miles away from Britain provoked the upsurge of British patriotism that swept Thatcher’s Party into a second term of office in 1983.

The political and economic policies pursued by Mrs Thatcher from 1979 have become known by the name of Thateherism.The underlying aim of Thatcherism was to shift the economic emphasis back to private enterprise which is directly contrary to Labour Party policy.This involves cutting public expenditure，returning state-owned enterprise to private ownership wherever possible，curbing the power of the trade unions and reducing inflation by monetarist financial policies（i.e.by controlling the supply of money in Britain）.In foreign affairs Mrs.Margaret Thatcher agreed in 1985to return Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.

By 1989Thatcherism had produced a decisive long-term economic recovery，but one that was unevenly distributed in Britain.The southern part of the country enjoyed an economic boom，while the older industrial cities of the north remained stagnant.In 1990an economic slowdown and rising inflation led to a strong decline in support for Mrs.Thatcher and her government.The imposition of a per-capita tax¹²，intended to replace property taxes，met with strong public opposition and led to her resignation in Nov.1990.

Thatcher was replaced by Chancellor of the Exchequer John Major，whose greatest challenge was the British role in a united Europe.In 1992the Conservatives，led by Major won another general election.Yet only 13months later Major’s ratings in the polls had fallen to 21percent as the economy stalled and the Conservatives themselves split badly over some elements in the European Community’s Maastricht Treaty¹³.The Conservatives were further beset in 1994with a series of tabloid scandals involving adultery，illegitimacy，transvestitism and suicide，with allegations of political corruption concerning arms sales to Iraq and Malaysia.So when the general election came in 1996，the Conservatives were beaten by Labour.Anthony Blair，the leader of the Labour Party，became prime Minister in 1997.

Notes

1.Alsace and Lorraine：districts in east France.Between 1871and 1945both France and Germany claimed the sovereignty of the districts.Before 1902Alsace and Lorraine became aprovince of Germany.In 1919it was returned to France.During World WarⅡGermany took it again，but returned to France in 1945.

2.Rapprochement：the renewal of friendly relations.

3.Mahatma Gandhi（1869-1948）：Indian racial and political leader，called Great Soul Gandhi.He studied law in London and in 1893went to South Africa，where he fought for the rights of Indians.He returned in 1915，and led the struggle for independence by the method of non-violent civil disobedience.He was sent to prison several times between 1920and 1944；He was President of the Indian National Congress in 1924and took part in the negotiations for independence（1930-1946）.He fought for the rights of the“untouchables”，for unity between Hindus and Moslems，and against the caste system.He was assassinated by a Hindu nationalist.

4.Sinn Fein：an Irish nationalist party founded in 1905to resist British rule.Today the party wants Northern Ireland to become part of the Republic of Ireland，by using force if necessary.

5.Duke of York：a royal title normally reserved for the second son of the monarch.

6.George Ⅵ（1895-1952）：King of Great Britain，the second son of George Ⅴ.He became King when his brother EdwardⅧabdicated in 1936.He was the father of Queen ElizabethⅡ.

7.Munich Agreement：the agreement made at Munich in Sept.1938between Britain，France，Germany and Italy.It gave up the Sudetenland area of Czechoslovakia to Germany.The agreement encouraged Hitler to invade Czechoslovakia in March 1939.

8.El Alamein：a town in the north of Egypt on the Mediterranean coast，where the British won a decisive victory over the Germans and Italians.

9.British Commonwealth of Nations：a loose association of independent nations that formerly made up the British Empire.It has no written constitution and no rigid contractual obligations.Emphasis is on consultation and exchange of views for cooperation，especially in economic affairs，drug trafficking，international terrorism，and technical assistance to less developed states.The British Crown is acknowledged by all members as the symbol of their association.Many members accept the British monarch，represented by agovernor-general，as their head of the state，while others are republics under a president or have their own rulers.

10.European Economic Community（EEC）：also known as the European Common Market，a free trade organization created by the treaty of Rome in 1957.Its members were France，

Germany，Italy，Belgium，the Netherlands and Luxembourg.The purpose of the treaty was to permit goods to travel freely，without custom duties or quota restrictions，throughout the areas of the six member countries.Britain was not accepted as a member until 1971，and joined formally，together with Denmark and the Republic of Ireland，on Jan.1，1973.The EEC was subsumed into the European Union upon its creation in 1993 by the Maastricht Treaty.

11.OPEC：the shortened form of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

12.Per-capita tax（人均税）：a tax based on the result of dividing stated sums of money by a specified group of people to show the amount to be paid by each person.

13.Maastricht Treaty（马斯特里赫条约）；a treaty signed by all members of the European Community in Feb.1992.The principle points were that the European Community should become known as the European Union，there should be a common citizenship，a single currency should be established by 1999，and steps should be taken toward a common European security and foreign policy.

Exercises

Ⅰ.Choose the correct answer.

1.The causes for Britain to join the“Triple Entente”in 1907were the

following ones except________.

A.the failure of the British rapprochement with Germany

B.the skillful diplomacy of the French ambassador to Britain

C.the German policy to build a large navy

D.the British splendid isolation policy

2.Britain declared war on Germany in Aug.1914when Germanyinvaded________.

A.France　　　B.Poland　　　C.Belgium　　　D.Serbia

3.According ro the Treaty of Versailles of 1919.Britain got________.

A.most of the Germany’s remaming merchant ships

B.Palestine and Mesopotamia from Turkey

C.German colonies in Africa and in the Pacific Ocean as mandates of the League of Nations

D.all above

4.The British Communist Partywas founded in________.

A.1918　　　B.1919　　　C.1920　　　D.1921

5.The War of Malvinas Islands broke our in________.A.1979B1981C.1982D.1983

6.Mrs.Margaret Thatcher agreed in ________to return Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.A.1983B.1985C.1988D.1990

7.The chief cause that led to Mrs.Thatcher’s resignation in 1990was the________.

A.imposition of property taxes

B.imposition of a per-capita tax

C.cutting public expenditure

D.denationalization of private enterprise

8.AnthonyBlair became Prime Minister in________.

A.1994　　　B.1996　　　C.1997　　　D.1998

Ⅱ.Fill in the blanks.

1.In World WarⅠ，the British navy played a very important role for the victoryof the Allies.It was the ________of the British navy that drove Germany to the desperate ________campaign that finally brought the________into the war.

2.After the First World War，Mahatma Gandhi launched a civil________ campaign in India in 1919.In 1920the British Parliament passed the________of India Act，which transferred some political power to________ provincial officials but left the appointed British ________firmly in control.

3.Between the two world wars，Britain’s navyand air force were the________in the world，its armythe ________largest.Yet its industrywas________，the Great Depression hit especially hard in the British Isles，strikes and labour unrest occurred frequently，and colonial ties became further ________in the 1930s.

4.In Aug.________，the German Air Force began an intensive attack on the airfields in ________England.This battle is usuallycalled the________.

5.In 1946Britain attached herself permanently to the________Alliance.In________Harold Macmillan became Prime Minister.He continued the policyto maintain close relation with the________.Most important，he presided over the transformation of the British ________to the British________.

Ⅲ.Questions for Discussion.

1.Why did Winston Churchill，fail to win the general election of 1945？

2.Through what means did the Labour and Conservative governments increase the standard of living of the British people after the Second World War？

3.What are the main contents of Thateherism？

4.Why was the Conservative Party defeated by the Labour Party in the general election of 1996？