70-79 Foreign Policy

Question 1

Prep for britain’s 3rd EEC application

Answer 1

-very likely to be accepted, pompidou replaced de gaulle
-heath very pro european unlike wilson
-details already arranged by heath in 1962

Question 2

Powell’s opposition to eec

Answer 2

-voted against european bill at every stage
-believed heath had betrayed country by signing it
-refused to stand as a tory candidate in feb 1974

Question 3

Labours opinions on europe

Answer 3

-labour very divided on europe, the left against it
-officially against heaths plans but couldn’t argue against joining due to pro europeans in the party
-wilson argued terms offered weren’t good enough

Question 4

Final agreement on eec

Answer 4

-re-negotiation and a national referendum when labour gained power again
-69 labour mps helped torys win the decisive vote
-in jan 1973 britain joined the eec

Question 5

Yes voters in the european referendum

Answer 5

-financed by business supporters, 4/419 company chairmen wanted to leave the eec
-roy jenkins, heath, liberal leader jeremy thorpe

Question 6

No voters in the european referendum

Answer 6

-those who argued it wad bad for british workers, barbara castle and michael foot
-those tho believed britain would lose independence
-ian paisley of the dup and enoch powell

Question 7

The european referendum

Answer 7

-wilsons main aim was party unity
-used european referendum campaign of 1975
-wilson and callaghan declared themselves neutral

Question 8

Referendum result

Answer 8

-announced july 1975
-17 million yes, 8 million no
-wilson successfully avoided a labour split
-jenkins left labour to become a european commissioner

Question 9

Heath and the USA

Answer 9

-heath rejected attempts by sec of state kissinger for usa to use britain as a link to europe
-got on well with richard nixon, supported vietnam

Question 10

Yom Kippur war

Answer 10

-oct 1973, relations worsened due to it
-us wanted to use nato bases in europe to supply israel
-rejected by britain and other european nations

Question 11

Attitudes to the USSR

Answer 11

-detente during 1970s, direct contact, arms limited
-underlying tension about ussr in eastern europe

Question 12

Markov affair

Answer 12

-bulgarian who defected to the west in 1969
-criticised bulgarian communist regime
-assasinated in london 1978, kgb suspected

Question 13

Attitudes to china

Answer 13

-nixon announced thawing of relations, visited china in feb 1972 and met with mao zedong
-edward heath visited china often from 1974 onwards
-became peoples friendship envoy
-oct 1979 hua guofeng visited britain on a european tour