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Burma gained its independence from the UK in 1948.

Britain: British Society 1931-1951 - Foreign Policy Under Labour 1945-1951

Discover how Labour handled foreign policy after 1945, from creating the United Nations and joining NATO to managing empire, the Cold War and relations with the USA.

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Fascinating Fact:

Britain was a founder member of the United Nations in 1945. Labour supported collective security and hoped the UN would prevent another major war.

In GCSE History, this topic explores British foreign policy under Labour between 1945 and 1951. You look at how Britain tried to balance its role as a great power with the realities of the Cold War, American influence and a weakening empire. The course examines decisions about joining NATO, supporting the UN, managing relations with the Soviet Union and handling crises within the Commonwealth. By analysing sources and interpretations, you judge how successful Labour was in protecting British interests and shaping the post-war world.

Key Terms

Cold War: A period of tension and rivalry after 1945 between the United States and the Soviet Union, fought through threats, alliances and propaganda rather than direct large-scale fighting.
Collective Security: The idea that countries act together through organisations such as the UN to discourage aggression and defend one another if a state threatens peace.
NATO: The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, a defensive alliance formed in 1949 between the USA, Britain and other countries to resist possible Soviet expansion in Europe.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What were the main aims of Labour foreign policy after 1945?

Labour aimed to keep Britain a major power, support peace through the UN, contain Soviet expansion, maintain close links with the USA and gradually adjust to a weaker empire and new international realities.

How did the Cold War affect British foreign policy in 1945–1951?

The Cold War pushed Britain to back the USA, accept Marshall Aid, join NATO and devote resources to defence, while limiting how independently it could act in Europe and the wider world.

Why did Britain join NATO in 1949?

Britain joined NATO to strengthen its security against possible Soviet aggression, to tie the United States more firmly to European defence and to keep influence within a key Western alliance.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

Who succeeded Ernest Bevin as foreign secretary in March 1951?

Herbert Morrison

Hugh Dalton

Sir Stafford Cripps

Aneurin Bevan

Bevin's death was a major blow but - in the event - Labour had little time before a further general election would hand power to the Tory opposition

2 .

Attlee had to fly suddenly to represent Britain at an international conference in August 1945, as he had won the general election. Where was this conference held?

Yalta

Tehran

Casablanca

Potsdam

Churchill had originally represented Britain here, but he had had to return in order to fight the general election campaign at home

3 .

When the Korean War broke out the British government immediately supported the UN effort to remove the North Korean invaders from the south. The newly appointed British Chancellor of the Exchequer found extra cash for this cause by introducing new NHS charges for false teeth and glasses. What was his name?

Hugh Dalton

Hugh Gaitskell

Harold Wilson

John Freeman

The principle of the NHS, set up in 1948, was fundamental: it was to be free at the point of use. Therefore the introduction of charges for certain services seemed to many a denial of the principles of the health service

4 .

In 1946 a British economist crossed the Atlantic to negotiate a $5 billion loan from the USA. Who was this?

John Maynard Keynes

Austin Robinson

Joan Robinson

Wynne Godley

The Americans drove a hard bargain, both in respect of the interest rate charged and the length of the repayment period

5 .

The Labour government of 1945-50 was an enthusiastic adherent of NATO when it was set up in 1949. Where was the new body's headquarters?

Brussels

Bonn

Paris

London

By 1949 the conciliatory atmosphere of 1945 had long since dissipated - especially since the communist coup in Czechoslovakia the previous year

6 .

In 1947 the British government told the US government that they could no longer shoulder the burden of keeping both Greece and Turkey secure from communist infiltration. What was President Truman's reply?

Britain would be allowed to relinquish its responsibilities in Turkey, but would have to continue to guarantee Greece

Britain could abandon Greece, but must continue its obligations to Turkey

The United States (under the so-called Truman Doctrine) would take over lock, stock and barrel Britain's duties throughout this area

The United States would - in alliance with Britain - ensure the security of "free peoples" against communist aggression throughout the world

This was effectively the end of US isolationism. In other words the US was now taking on an open-ended commitment

7 .

In 1948 Britain agreed to relinquish a UN mandate, and to hand the problem back to the UN. Which was the territory concerned?

Palestine

Transjordan

Iraq

Syria

Bevin became fed up by the problems: ethnic and religious. There seemed from the military and strategic point of view no advantage in hanging on

8 .

Britain joined the UN as a founding member. She also became a member of a smaller constituent body whose permanent members had the right to veto resolutions emanating from it. What was the name of this body?

The Security Council

The Council

The Assembly

The General Assembly

It was important to ensure that both the USA and the USSR were members of the UN

9 .

In 1948 the Soviet Government attempted to blockade Berlin and to force the three Western allies to leave their sectors of the city. How was this blockade defeated?

By threatening a Third World War

By forcing the way through surface corridors to Berlin

By organising an airlift and calling the bluff of the USSR not to shoot the aeroplanes down

By setting up a counter-blockade of East Berlin

Stalin calculated that any airlift would fail to bring into West Berlin sufficient supplies to sustain the city. But he realised that any attempt to shoot such aeroplanes down could trigger a "full retaliatory response"

10 .

In 1947 India and Pakistan received their independence from Britain. Further Raj territories became independent in 1948. Which one of the following was not involved in this further measure?

Burma

Ceylon

Nepal

Kashmir

The dissolution of Britain's South Asian empire encouraged other colonies elsewhere to demand independence

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Depression, war and recovery, 1930-1955

Author: Edward Towne