Britannia Overruled: British Policy and World Power in the Twentieth Century (Studies in Modern History)

Blending analysis and narrative, David Reynolds offers an explanation of the British "decline". By examining Britain's economy, empire and international position, he reveals the limits of British power in its Victorian heyday. Determinist theories of decline take us only so far: the British Empire reached its largest extent after 1918. In other words, this was a country with weaknesses, but also many potential strengths. How that potential was realized raised the issues of policy - decisions about diplomacy, strategy and the use of national resources. Reynolds emphasizes the choices open to British leaders within the overall constraints imposed by diminishing power. The book looks closely at how successive British policymakers confronted the dilemmas of power during this century. The crises of both world wars are explained and even dated. The ebb and flow of the Anglo-German antagonism is related to the often-neglected rivalry between Britain and France. Appeasement in the 1900s is compared with appeasement in the 1930s. The "special relationship" with America, the Cold War with Russia, and Britain's handling of colonial nationalism are all given sustained attention. The author shows how, in the decade after the war, Britain was trying to play the role of a great power to an unprecedented degree. Decisions taken then about nuclear weapons, economic policy and Europe have haunted Britain ever since. Reynolds discusses in detail how British leaders have tried to adapt to the European Community since 1973, including a chapter on the successes and failures of Margaret Thatcher's foreign policy and concluding reflections on the impact of the 1989 European revolutions. This book weaves together conventional diplomatic history with analysis of strategy, domestic politics, and economic and imperial policies. It also draws on political science concepts of power, policymaking and the international system. It is also an essay on the nature of power and it explores the whole pattern of international relations in the 20th century.