9. The Falklands War

In 1982 Britain went to war in the Atlantic to win back the Falkland Islands from Argentina, after Argentina had invaded the islands. The operation, which was denounced for the useless casualties by the majority of the countries, was quite popular in the United Kingdom. Once more Britain felt that it was a world power capable of defeating the enemy. The war itself cost 900 million pounds, and the total cost of defending the islands from 1982 to 1987 rose to 3 billion pounds.

10. Britain in international relations

Ever since the 17^th century Britain traded more with its colonies than with its neighbours. It was after the fall of the colonial system that Britain turned its attention to its European neighbours.

In 1949 Britain joined with other European countries to form the Council of Europe in order ‘to achieve greater unity between its members.’ But that aim was never achieved. In fact, in 1957 Britain refused to join the other six European countries in the creation of the European Common Market. As time went by, Britain’s financial and economic difficulties increased and it could no longer stay out of the united Europe. But it was too late: when Britain tried to join the European Community in 1963 and then again in 1967, the French president General de Gaulle refused to allow it. Britain only became a member in 1973, after de Gaulle’s retirement.

After World War II Britain found itself unable to keep up with the military arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union. It soon gave up the idea of an independent nuclear deterrent, and in 1962 took American ‘Polaris’ nuclear missiles for British submarines. As a result, Britain was tied even more closely to the USA.

Britain supported the USA in many political matters which alarmed its European partners. In 1986 Britain allowed US aircraft to use British airfields from which the Americans attacked the Lybian capital, Tripoli. One thing was clear to Europeans: Britain still had not made up its mind whether its first political loyalty lay across the Atlantic or in Europe. As a result of this pro-American policy Britain lost its position in Europe.

11. Britain’s economic development at the end of the century

At the end of the 1970s unemployment rose rapidly, reaching 3.5 million by 1985. It was highest in the industrial north of England and in Belfast, Clydeside and southeast Wales – the same places that had suffered most during the Great Depression in the 1930s. In 1979-1981 the country was hit by an economic crisis. In 1984 coal miners launched a general strike in protest against pit closures. They were supported by workers in other industries, especially by dock workers and those in the shipbuilding industry. After a year of violence, during which miners fought with the police, the strike was called off. The government headed by Margaret Thatcher won a victory in the greatest industrial conflict of the century. The years of ‘Thatcherism’ finally brought the country out of the deadlock economically, no matter how unpopular her measures might have seemed at moments.

Margaret Thatcher was elected to Parliament as the Tory leader in 1979 and resigned her post to another Tory, John Major, in 1990. It was also during her rule that Britain established closer relations with the USSR. Margaret Thatcher was the prime minister who actually put an end to the Cold War in Europe.

In February 1991 the British troops were involved in the Gulf War, where they assisted American and other coalition forces to drive Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi army out of the occupied Kuwait. The economy showed signs of deep recession. High inflation and sagging production were now accompanied by rising unemployment, which even affected the City ‘yuppies’ (young urban professionals). And finally the Tories lost a general election and Tony Blair became the new Labour Prime Minister.

Blair started his first term of office with introducing a poll tax which at once made him far less popular than during the election campaign, and announcing that Britain was going to build socialism. The idea, though, was soon forgotten.

Probably the most unpopular move of the Blair government so far has been Britain’s involvement in the Iraqi war. But recent events have shown again that Britain still remains the most faithful ally of the USA.