Britain, Detente And Changing East-west Relations

"Britain, Detente and Changing East-West Relations" examines the role of Britain in East-West relations since the end of World War II. While recent studies have focused on the contribution of Britain to the Cold War, this book is the first to provide a detailed analysis of the contribution of successive British governments to the development of East-West detente, a historical process that Brian White believes had its origins in the early postwar period.
Brian White places particular emphasis on Britain's central role as the catalyst of detente in the 1950s and early 1960s, and its later role in the revival of detente during the 1980s. He concludes that the failure to adapt effectively to the changing patterns of East-West relations from the 1960s onwards led to the gradual decline of British influence. Detailed and comprehensive, this book provides both an important revaluation of Britain's role in the post-war world and an invaluable case study in foreign policy formation and execution.