1、Chapter 3 Britain, France, and Russia.Britain and the First World WarThe Work War I was fought from 1914 to 1918 primarily between two European Power blocs: “the Central power”. Germany and Austria-Hungary, and “the Allies”, Britain, France and Russia. During the war, the Britain lost much. Apart fr
2、om the loss of manpower, there had been considerable disruption of the economy and society. Britain during WWI (1914-1918):Both sides suffered heavy losses from the war. About 13 million people died as the result of the war. Britain, for the first time, was left a debtor country. London, was replace
3、d by New York as the world financial center. Within the British Empire, there was a trend of more independence. Countries, such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland demanded independence. The British Empire was on its way of declining. Britain and the Second World WarBritain during WWII (1
4、939-1945):The Treaty of Versailles signed after the first world war put Germany in a miserable condition, and caused great suffering to the German people. Hitler succeeded in rousing strong nationalism and racism, promising Germany a great nation once more by conquering more space for the GermansAs
5、Adolf Hitler and Nazism showed off their aggressive momentum in Europe, Chamberlain, the Prime Minister, found his policy of appeasement of German aggression was no longer tenable, and was forced to declare war on Germany on September 3,1939. One of the most far-reaching consequences of the Second W
6、orld War was that it hastened the end of Britains empire. Britain finally won the war, but the cost was great. It lost its naval supremacy forever to the US. British economy suffered tremendously. It also lost its vast empire. More than 20 countries won their independence. The “Sun-never-set” Empire
7、 was replaced by the British Commonwealth of Independent Nations, a loosely organized community of former British colonies. III. Postwar DevelopmentBritain experienced a period of great difficulty after the war. The postwar government adopted the principle of Welfare State, full employment, and gove
8、rnment control of economic development until the late 1970s. 1. The establishment of a welfare stateThe Labor Party, carried out many reforms and laid the foundation for postwar social and economic development. They helped provide living spaces for the worker, offer insurance for all the working peo
9、ple. It also provided benefits for pregnant women, funeral grants, and pensions for old age. 2. Economic DevelopmentAnother reform implemented by the labor government was the nationalization of industries. It also exercised considerable amount of control over private industries. However, inflation a
10、nd trade deficit were persistent problems, and British economic growth fell behind other western countries. 3. ThatcherismIt referred to the policies put forward by Margaret Thatcher, the first woman prime minister in England in 1979. The main contents of her policies included the return to private
11、ownership of state-owned industries, the use of monetarist policies to control inflation, the weakening of trade unions, the strengthening of the role of market forces in the economy, and an emphasis on law and order. To some extent her program was successful and she led one of the most remarkable p
12、eriods in the British economy. 4. The Third WayTony Blair was elected Prime Minister, only to make the Conservative Party out of office after 18 years in power. He called for the third way, which was different the old Labor Partys commitment to the nationalization and the Conservative Partys emphasi
13、s on extreme individualism. His government succeeded in limiting government spending, keeping inflation under control and reducing unemployment. However, his popularity dropped when he followed the US into the war against Iraq. 5. Foreign policy after WWIIAfter WWII, Britain adopted an isolationist policy toward Europe but cooperated very closely with the United States. It was not until 1973 that did Britain become a member of European community. After that, it was more and more involved in European affairs. But it still fell closer to the US than to the European continent.
