FOREIGN外交关系概要1.ppt

Great Britain was the worlds foremost power during the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. Until the Suez crisis of 1956, the country was considered a superpower. After 1956 however, with the loss of the empire, its dominant role in global affairs was gradually diminished 1、colonial expansion 16th century 殖民扩张 British foreign relations since 1600 have focused on achieving a balance of power, with no country controlling the continent of Europe. The chief enemy, from the Hundred Years War until the defeat of Napoleon (1337-1815) was France, a larger country with a more powerful army. The British were generally successful in their many wars, with the notable exception of the American War of Independence (1775–1783), when Britain, without any major allies, was defeated by the colonials who had the support of France, the Netherlands and Spain. A favored diplomatic strategy was subsidizing the armies of continental allies, such as Prussia, thereby turning Londons enormous financial power to military advantage. Britain relied heavily on its Royal Navy for security, seeking to keep it the most powerful fleet afloat with a full complement of bases across the globe. The British built up a very large worldwide British Empire, which peaked in size in the 1920-40 era and in wealth around 1900, then began to shrink until by the 1970s almost nothing was left but a Commonwealth of Nations that had little to do.[2] Britain finally turned its attention to the continent, joining the European Union.[3] After 1900 Britain ended its splendid isolation by developing friendly relations with the United States and Japan 1902. Even more important—by forming the Triple Entente with France (1904) and Russia (1907), thus forging the anti-German alliance that fought the First World War (1914-1918). The special relationship with the U.S. endured. It played a pivotal role in the Second World War and the Cold War, and is in effect today through NATO. By 2014, however, the debate was underway whet