"In 1945 Britain was still a world power. Increasingly, however, it had to adapt its international commitments: to the financial limitations of relative economic decline; to costly technological progress, especially in nuclear weapons; and to the external challenges of European integration, colonial nationalism and Soviet imperialism.

Based throughout on newly accessible sources, the twelve chapters of 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 in this crucial transition period."--BOOK JACKET.