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Britain in the 20th century

World War Two took a heavy toll on Britain and her empire in a number of ways:

Economic impact:

Britain’s economic prominence in the world went through great turmoil during the 20th century, and in the second half of the century there was little doubt that Britain had lost that prominence to the United States. World War Two had been extraordinarily costly for Britain and her empire, and in 1945 the country was exhausted and devastated. Aerial bombardment had destroyed many British cities, and there were major shortages of goods and labour for the rebuilding of the country. The government had to think seriously about whether Britain could afford to sustain a global empire any more.

Ideological impact:

World War Two was fought against countries that had stood for extreme nationalism which involved various racist ideas about different groups. In fighting against those countries it became difficult for British people to continue to still believe that the Africans and Asians were inferior to white Europeans. In 1941, during the Second World War, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill signed the Atlantic Charter in which Britain accepted that nations should be free from being oppressed by other empires. The new United Nations that was set up in 1945 after the war represented ideas of equality and human rights for all people.

Psychological impact:

During World War Two the British suffered a number of defeats. One of the most significant was the loss of Singapore to the Japanese in 1942. Japan had been regarded as one of the inferior nations of Asia and unable to match the strength of a white European nation. Losing control of Singapore, a vital naval base, to the Japanese showed that the British were not invincible, and so should not be considered a superior imperial power. This was an important encouragement to nationalist groups in Africa and Asia.

Decolonisation:

It seemed clear that some parts of the empire were just too costly to keep hold of and that decolonising those territories was essential. The British territories in India were granted independence in 1947, and the following year Britain withdrew from the Middle East because of massive unrest in the region of Palestine. However, the British government initially thought that Africa would be a source of wealth and trade that could help Britain get back to prosperity. That meant increasing the British activity in Africa after 1945, not reducing it.

Suez crisis, 1956

In 1952, Egypt had a new nationalist government after the monarchy was overthrown. The coup, was led by Colonel Nasser and in 1956 Nasser became the President of Egypt. He decided that the Egyptians should own and control the Suez Canal, and so he nationalised it. This meant that British shares in the canal were taken over by the Egyptian government.

The British Prime Minister, Anthony Eden, was determined to resist Nasser. The British devised a secret plan with the French and the Israelis to invade Egypt and secure the Canal. At the end of October 1956 the British, French and Israelis invaded Egypt and took control of the Suez Canal.

The American government was furious that they had taken that action without the agreement of the United States. American President Eisenhower condemned the invasion, and in early November he secured a United Nations vote urging the end of the operation. The British and French had to withdraw their forces because of this American opposition. This event marked a serious decline in Britain’s international power and independent authority.

'Wind of change' in Africa

The nationalist movements in Africa made it more difficult for the British government to keep power in Africa through its colonies after 1948.

• In Ghana there was a lot of unrest in the Accra riots of 1948, particularly involving ex-soldiers who were unhappy about their situation after the war.
• In Kenya the Mau Mau revolt drew a lot of British soldiers to the colony in the 1950s to protect the white settlers.

These security operations were expensive and the British people lost interest in holding on to the empire in Africa. The economic schemes were not bringing in the profits expected and the British people were more interested in spending public money on the new Welfare State than funding defence for the empire.

In 1960, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan announced in Cape Town, South Africa, that there was a 'wind of change' blowing through Africa that was bringing independence from the Empire. The British government had accepted that decolonisation had to come to Africa.