Great Britain and France, 1946–1991

Great Britain emerged from the war economically weakened; the Labour government (Clement Attlee) that won the 1945 election nationalised some industries and in 1948 created the National Health Service (NHS). India became independent in 1947 and in the following decades most of the British Empire’s colonies gained independence; the Suez crisis of 1956 showed that Britain’s world influence had declined. In 1973 Britain joined the European Economic Community; in 1979–1990 Margaret Thatcher’s government reduced state intervention, privatised industries and cut taxes, in 1982 a war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands took place, and in Northern Ireland a violent conflict (“the Troubles”) continued from 1969. In France the Fourth Republic was established in 1946 and was exhausted by colonial wars (Indochina 1946–1954, Algeria 1954–1962); in 1958 Charles de Gaulle returned to power and a constitution of the Fifth Republic with a strong presidency was adopted by referendum. In 1960 many French African colonies became independent and in 1962 Algeria’s independence was recognised; in 1966 France left NATO’s integrated military command, the student and worker movement of May 1968 weakened de Gaulle’s authority and he resigned in 1969. In 1981–1995 the Socialist François Mitterrand was president.