'With a Little Help from our Friends': How France Secured an Anglo-American Continental Commitment, 1945-54

One of France's primary goals after the Second World War was to establish a favourable and durable balance of power on the European continent. From France's perspective, however, the rise of Soviet power threatened this goal. To balance Soviet conventional might, France sought to enlist An...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cold war history 2002-10, Vol.3 (1), p.1-28
Main Author: Creswell, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Balance of Power
Cold War
Communism
Diplomacy
Europe
France
History of international relations
International cooperation
Political history
Post World War II Period
Post-war history
Regional security
U.S.A
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
United Kingdom
United States of America
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Summary:One of France's primary goals after the Second World War was to establish a favourable and durable balance of power on the European continent. From France's perspective, however, the rise of Soviet power threatened this goal. To balance Soviet conventional might, France sought to enlist Anglo-American military forces. Although sympathetic to French concerns, neither Britain nor the United States was willing to commit its military forces to Europe on a long-term basis. But through a combination of diplomacy, statecraft, and chance, France succeeded in late 1954 in forcing the Anglo-Americans to remain in Europe despite their reluctance. This affair demonstrates that European security arrangements championed by America and Britain could not proceed without French cooperation.
ISSN:1468-2745
1743-7962
DOI:10.1080/713999975