foreign affairs

Question 1

ian smith

Answer 1

• embodied british colonialism
• born in rhodesia, scottish parents immigrated
• co-founded rhodesian front 1962
• won power dec 1962
• right-wing extremist

Question 2

when was the rhodesian front set up?

Answer 2

1962

Question 3

what was the rhodesian fronts aims?

Answer 3

to preserve white minority rule in rhodesia

Question 4

what happened to rhodesia in 1964?

Answer 4

• the federation of nyasaland and southern/northern rhodesia dissolved

Question 5

what is northern rhodesia modernly known as?

Answer 5

zambia

Question 6

what is southern rhodesia modernly known as?

Answer 6

zimbabwe

Question 7

what options did wilson give smith?

Answer 7

• setting up a royal commission chaired by Sir Hugh Beatle (rhodesias cheif justice) to help the 5 principles to be put into place
• a referendum for UDI to the unfair franchise

Question 8

what options did wilson have with smith?

Answer 8

• negotiations or military invasion

Question 9

what did wilson do after smith declares UDI?

Answer 9

• declares it an illegal UDI
• stripped UK exports, tobacco and sugar purchases (relied 70% tobacco imports from UK)
• expelled from the sterling area
• waited for american support to declare an oil embargo
• issued/renewed passports by the regime weren’t recognised by the british government

Question 10

why couldn’t wilson use military intervention on rhodesia?

Answer 10

• landlocked country (would have to fly in troops or go through neighbouring country with their permission)
• against manifesto pledges, wanted make cuts in defence spending

Question 11

what were wilson’s actions on rhodesia?

Answer 11

• after smith called udi he declared it ‘illegal’
• stripped many uk exports. they relied 70% tobacco and sugar purchases, these were banned
• expelled them from the sterling area
• with usa permission declared oil embargo
• any issued/renewed passports from rhodesia were not recognised by british border force
• arms exports ended
• exchange controls stopped
• access to london capital market stopped
• british capital could no longer be exported to rhodesia

Question 12

when did the rhodesian front win a majority?

Answer 12

• 7 may 1965
• won all fifty seats on the a-roll, only 15 on the b-roll (landslide victory)

Question 13

what were other nations view on rhodesia?

Answer 13

• zambia on uk side, said they would leave the commonwealth and leave the sterling area if wilson lost against smith
• had UN support

Question 14

when did smith declare udi?

Answer 14

11 november 1965

Question 15

how did the queen respond to udi?

Answer 15

‘all her rhodesian people will demonstrate their loyalty by continuing to act in a constitutional manner’

Question 16

what does unilateral mean

Answer 16

something done/undertaken by one person or one party
(an independent decision)

Question 17

stats of the public’s opinion of the handling of rhodesia

Answer 17

• opinion poll showed 55% approval rating over 25% disapproving

Question 18

what were the opinion polls after rhodesia (lab/tory)?

Answer 18

• lab = 44.5% lead
• tory = 38.5%

Question 19

to what extent was wilson successful in the handling of rhodesia?

Answer 19

• not successful but regional tension and other difficulties were working against him
• SA and mozambique backed rhodesia, helped with the sanctions
• oil companies ignored the sanctions despite UN backing
• smith aware of the small amount of support there was for him in britain
• did take strong action with passports
• not solved until 1980s

Question 20

summary of withdrawal ‘east of suez’

Answer 20

• labour knew from the election of 1964 there had to be spending cuts
• withdrawals were set up in Healey’s white paper in 1967 when labour had a more secure majority
• withdrew from middle east, aden, malaysia and singapore

Question 21

what did wilson do in terms of withdrawal ‘east of suez’?

Answer 21

• he believed in the atlantic alliance and GB having a world role
• therefore didnt want nuclear disarmament
• gov announced they would keep deploying missiles
• 1967 commitment to upgrading nuclear army
• followed up on withdrawals

Question 22

how successful was wilson in handling withdrawing ‘east of suez’

Answer 22

• withdrawal were successful
• but the high tech warplane was not built as it was too expensive (TSR2)

Question 23

summary of the EEC integration

Answer 23

• lab gov committed into getting into the EEC
• lab lefts and tu against as saw it as ‘a club for capitalists’
• europhiles in cabinet let do divisions

Question 24

why did wilson/the lab cabinet want to enter?

Answer 24

• to improve the economy

Question 25

how successful was wilson with the EEC integration?

Answer 25

- application was veto’d by de gaulle - de gaulle didnt like usa and uk relationship, wanted them to give it up for the EEC, wilson declined doing that - application was half-hearted because of lab divisions and doubt - devaluation happened in the same month

Question 26

when did devaluation and rejection from the eec happen?

Answer 26

november 1967

Question 27

summary of the vietnam war/relations with the usa

Answer 27

- soviet threat was enchanted by czechoslovakia invasion - wilson wanted good terms with the us - vietnam split into the communist north and the non-communist south - us sided with non-communists against the communists - escalated in 1964, USA eventually withdrew in 1975 when vietcong’s took over

Question 28

what were the vietnam communists called?

Answer 28

vietcongs

Question 29

when did the usa eventually withdraw from vietnam and why?

Answer 29

- 1975 - vietcongs took over

Question 30

what did wilson do in terms of the vietnam war and handling of relations with the usa?

Answer 30

- resisted any military intervention but gave moral support to President Johnson - was a balancing act for wilson - wanted to maintain relationship with usa but the war was unpopular with the british public/the left - couldn’t afford involvement as also needed to keep the £ up - annoyed US who wanted greater backing as well as Lab MPs

Question 31

how successful was wilson in handling vietnam?

Answer 31

- gave all support that was possible, not an essential war concerning britain - kept good enough relations with usa and labour