The New Hope

Abstract

In 1946, Britain’s vice-like grip over its colonies began to loosen. Thoroughly exhausted by the war, which by the end of the conflict had consumed over half the country’s Gross National Product (GNP), the United Kingdom was a ravaged land, if not one as thoroughly devastated as its continental neighbors. Unlike during the First World War, this time around Great Britain had been forced to cannibalize its own resources and thus had a weak hand with which to rebuild, a troubling scenario when faced with the reality of the loss of 30 percent of its total housing, 3.5 million homes in London alone.1 Combined with ceaseless pressure from the Americans to give up its overseas possessions, Britain no longer possessed the will nor the way to maintain its empire.