Overview
- Shows how France began its recovery from humiliation in 1940 to resume its place in Europe and the world through a process of resistance and liberation as well as integration with the rest of Europe by the 1960s.
- Explains how the British and American Governments effectively excluded France from postwar planning but had to listen to them in the process of the peace.
- Argues that the United States was a major driver and supporter of European integration often against the wishes of Britain, and discusses the consequences of that for today’s political debates.
Part of the book series: Studies in Diplomacy and International Relations (SID)
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Table of contents (6 chapters)
Keywords
About this book
Lucian Ashworth,Memorial University, Canada
"Following on from his outstanding first volume reviewing the complex interwar relationships between France, Britain and the United States, Williams’ second volume is an indispensable and lucid overview of the vitally important era of post-war reconstruction. From national post-war developments to institutional structures and superpower shifts, Williams examines clearly and engagingly the final passing of pre-modern power structures and the emergence of a new Europe."
Amelia Hadfield, University of Surrey, UK
"At a time of intense debates about Europe, the ‘Anglosphere’ and empires old and new, Andrew Williams’s book is a timely demonstration that the weight of emotion in the shaping of foreign policy and its makers should not be forgotten. Unearthing some of the ‘forces profondes’ in diplomacy and reflecting on feelings of humiliation and liberation in national constructs, Andrew Williams discusses the cultural conceptions and misconceptions that French, American and British diplomats had of each other, thereby revisiting the reasons why the ‘special relationship’ was largely a myth – but one which had tangible consequences on French and British policies in their retreat from empire. By connecting the personal and the national, the structural and accidental, Williams offers essential insights into the major conflicts of the period and their impact on diplomatic cultures across the Atlantic."
Mélanie Torrent, Université Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
The second volume of this study of France’s unique contribution to the international relations of the last century covers the period from the Fall of France in 1940 to Charles de Gaulle’s triumphant return to power in the late 1950s. France had gone from being a victorious member of the coalition with Britain and the United States that won the First World War to a defeated nation in a few short weeks. France then experienced the humiliation of collaboration with and occupation by the enemy, followed by resistance and liberation and a slow return to global influence over the next twenty years. This volume examines how these processes played out by concentrating on France’s relations with Britain and the United States, most importantly over questions of post-war order, the integration of Europe and the withdrawal from Empire.
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: France, Britain and the United States in the Twentieth Century: Volume 2, 1940–1961
Book Subtitle: A Reappraisal
Authors: Andrew J. Williams
Series Title: Studies in Diplomacy and International Relations
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-41444-1
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan London
eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies, Political Science and International Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2020
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-137-41443-4Published: 01 January 2020
eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-41444-1Published: 31 December 2019
Series ISSN: 2731-3921
Series E-ISSN: 2731-393X
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: IX, 323
Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations
Topics: International Relations, Diplomacy, Political History, French Politics, British Politics, US Politics