In 1945 Britain was still a world power. Increasingly, however, it had to adapt its international commitments to the financial limitations, technological progress and external challenges of the bipolar postwar world, especially during the premierships of Eden, Macmillan and Douglas-Hume from 1955 to 1964. Based throughout on newly accessible sources, the twelve chapters in this book analyse systematically Britain's foreign policy-making and its regional relationships in the world, thus providing the reader with a comprehensive overview of Britain's foreign relations during this crucial transition.

General Editor's Preface Acknowledgements Notes on the Contributors PART I: THE FOREIGN-POLICY-MAKING PROCESS British Foreign Policy-making: The Macmillan Years; A.Deighton Shifting Sands: The International Economy and British Economic Policy; C.R.Schenk The Realities Behind Britain's Global Defence Strategy; C.Staerck & G.Staerck British Domestic Politics, the Conservative Party and Foreign Policy-making, 1955-64; M.D.Kandiah Foreign and Commonwealth Policy in Opposition: The Labour Party 1955-64; P.Catterall Against Napoleon and Hitler: Background Influences on British Diplomacy; W.Kaiser PART II: GLOBAL AND REGIONAL RELATIONSHIPS 'Reliable Allies': Anglo-American Relations; M.D.Kandiah & G.Staerck Accepting the Inevitable: Britain and European Integration; J.R.V.Ellison Winds of Change: The Empire and Commonwealth; R.Hyams Blowing Hot and Cold: Anglo-Soviet Relations; R.Bevins & G.Quinn Defeat and Revival: Britain in the Middle East; M.Elliot Difficult Challenges: The Far East; U.Lehmkuhl Index

WOLFRAM KAISER is a Visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges and Lecturer at the University of Vienna. His latest book is Using Europe, Abusing Europeans: Britain and European Unity, 1945-63, and he has published widely on nineteenth and twentieth century British, German and European history.

GILLIAN STAERCK is a Research Fellow of the Institute of Contemporary British History at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London and is editor of Modern History Review. She has edited PROFILES for HMSO and British Documents on Asia.