Description
This essay discusses the relationship between the United States and Britain during the Cold War, specifically focusing on the years 1949-1957. The author argues that despite the apparent vulnerability of the British Empire in Hong Kong, the two countries were actually working together closely in order to maintain stability in the region. This cooperation was due in part to the fact that the British Empire was declining and the United States was focused on its Cold War goals, but it also showed the vulnerabilities of small allies in a global conflict.
After 1949, the British Empire in Hong Kong was more vulnerable than it appeared to be. Its vulnerability stemmed as much from Britain's imperial decline and America's Cold War requirements as from an imminent Chinese threat. This is the first scholarly study that explores the interactions of British and US policies towards Hong Kong, and reveals the dynamics of the Anglo-American alliance and the dilemmas of small allies in the global Cold War.
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