British Power and International Relations during the 1950s

This book examines BritainOs role and influence in a pivotal decade. The postwar international order was still taking shape in the 1950s. Much was unsettled, and in these circumstances Britain could realistically expect to remain, and be treated as, one of the 'Big Three' world powers along with the United States and Soviet Union. Some adjustments were required in British priorities and methods, in view of changing pressures and needs at home and abroad, but the continuing desire was to make BritainOs position 'tenable' in those parts of the world that were of special importance to British prestige, power, strategy, prosperity, and security. This book elucidates the motives behind key decisions, discusses their far-reaching consequences, explains why some options were taken and others rejected, and places British policy-making in the appropriate international context. Designed primarily for undergraduate and beginning postgraduate students, the book offers an up-to-date, single volume treatment of major themes in British and international history; historiographical synthesis and comment; detailed narrative; accessible, easy-to-follow analysis; and a clear, evidence-based point of view concerning the survival of British power in challenging times.

Michael Turner's thoughtful account of the 1950s is important not only as an assessment of that pivotal decade but also as a valuable study of imperial power in the modern world. In place of simplistic presentations of the Suez Crisis and its consequences, Turner offers a perceptive treatment of Britain's continuing international role into the late-1950s.

Michael J. Turner is the Roy Carroll Distinguished Professor of British History at Appalachian State University.