the World After the WAR America confronts the British superpower, 1945–1957

“IT IS FASCINATING TO HEAR A FAMILIAR STORY RETOLD IN A LIGHT THAT ASKS QUESTIONS ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE STORY IS AS WELL-TOLD AS THIS ONE”

A PROVOCATIVE AND THOROUGH RETHINKING OF THE POST-WAR WORLD

Author: Derek Leebaert Publisher: Oneworld Price: £30.00 In this mammoth book, Derek Leebaert takes issue with one of the keystones of 20th-century history – the idea that Britain effectively handed over the reins as the world’s dominant superpower to the USA after World War II. The familiar story contends that Britain was exhausted by the war, while the USA was young, virile and hungry for power.

Leebaert argues that this transfer of power and influence was far from the orderly handover depicted in so many history books. He believes that the USA, which he describes as a “resolutely distant superstate”, was not suddenly willing to pick up the mantle cast off by the British. Nor were the British themselves ready to step meekly away from their position.

As well as investigating this major issue, Leebaert also looks into the notion of the ‘special relationship’ between Britain and the USA (and finds it to be an illusion), the repeated failures of the CIA, the flawed nature of American foreign-policy-making, and the inescapable fact that, at heart, the USA is an insular nation.

Leebaert takes a swipe at many fondly held beliefs and will no doubt provoke debate, but as always it is fascinating to hear a familiar story retold in a light that asks questions about everything you thought you knew, especially when the story is as well-told as this one.

More than that, Leebaert insists that the tensions between Britain and the USA in the post-war years led directly to the current global uncertainty and upheaval, which makes this book highly relevant to modern times as well as a riveting read.