Transformation of foreign policy relations between Great Britain and the South African Republic in the 1950s – 1970s: causes and features

Introduction. On a global scale, the African continent was of exceptional economic and political value to the European metropolises. For the UK, the South African region has traditionally been particularly attractive, providing British capital with monopoly sales markets, the main sources of raw materials for the development of strategic industries and the most profitable areas for investment. The intention of Britain to strengthen both its economic and military-political presence in traditional zones of influence across the continent and, above all, in the most industrially developed Union of South Africa, determined the direction of its foreign policy strategy and contributed to the establishment of strong bilateral relations between the countries. At the same time, they have been developing for a long time in the context of a historically established approach. The main aspects of political and economic activities of the Southern Administrative District were formed with account of interests of the metropolis. The nature of foreign policy relations was significantly influenced by both the apartheid system, which has been developing in South Africa since 1948, and the system of racial discrimination in general, which arose in South Africa back in the 17th century.

Materials and Methods. The main sources for writing the article are the transcripts of the sessions of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, legal acts of the South African Republic, Great Britain and the UN. Both general scientific methods, such as analysis and comparison, and special methods, like problemchronological and historical-comparative, were used in writing the article.

Analysis. The article examines the main stages of the development of relations between Great Britain and the South African Republic from the late 1940s to the early 1970s. It analyzes the reasons for the gradual change in the policy vectors of both countries after South Africa withdrew from the Commonwealth of Nations. The article also tracks the trends of the decline in the economic influence of the UK in the region.

Results. The image and position of Great Britain on the African continent were largely ensured by the Commonwealth member countries, including South Africa. After the country left the Commonwealth in 1961, Great Britain at the international level, firstly, resisted the sanctions imposed on South Africa, and secondly, pressured the Republic's political and economic decision-making processes in the interests of London. Nevertheless, by the mid-1970s, the domestic political situation in South Africa had changed and the fact of the withdrawal of the Republic from the influence of Great Britain became quite obvious. This led to a weakening of the strategic positions of the United Kingdom in the South African region.

1. Arkhangelskaya AA. International aspects of the creation of the Union of South Africa in 1910. Vestnik Rossiiskogo universiteta druzhby narodov. 2017;17(1):150-161. (In Russ.).

2. Africa: Sanctions, Elites, and Sovereign Development. Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences L.L. Fituni. Moscow: Institute of African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences; 2021. 368 p. (In Russ.).

3. Statute of Westminster 1931 URL: https://web.archive.org/web/20020225041228/http://gov.ns.ca/legislature/legc/westmins.htm (accessed: 04.01.2025).

4. Renaissance 1932. T8. No.2637. URL: https://historicperiodicals.princeton.edu/historic/?a=d&d=vozrozhdenie19320821-01.2.8& (accessed: 04.01.2025). (In Russ.).

5. Armed struggle of the peoples of Africa for freedom and independence. Editorial board: Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences VL Tyagunenko (responsible editor) and others. Institute of Military History of the USSR Ministry of Defense. Institute of Africa of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Moscow: Nauka; 1974. 444 p. (In Russ.).

6. The issue of racial conflict in the Republic of South Africa caused by the policy of apartheid pursued by the South African Agreement. A/PV. 1067. 28.11.1961. URL: https://documents.un.org/doc/resolution/gen/nr0/169/62/pdf/nr016962.pdf (accessed: 04.01.2024). (In Russ.).

7. The issue of racial conflict in South Africa, which arose as a result of the apartheid policy pursued by the government of the Republic of South Africa. S/RES/191 (1964). 18.06.1964. URL: https://documents.un.org/doc/resolution/gen/nr0/211/77/pdf/nr021177.pdf (accessed: 04.01.2024). (In Russ.).

8. Vyatkina RR. Colonial policy of Great Britain in South Africa in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries (plans for the creation of the South African Federation and their implementation). Problems of British History. Moscow: Nauka; 1984. P. 140-157. (In Russ.).

9. Gurney K. The Great Cause: Origins of the Anti-Apartheid Movement, June 1959 – March 1960. Zhurnal yuzhnoafrikanskikh issledovanii. 2000;26(1):123-144. (In Russ.).

10. Democratic reforms in South Africa as a prerequisite for ending the international isolation of South Africa. URL: http://studproject.com/ethnopolitics/southafrica/ (accessed: 16.10.2024). (In Russ.).

11. Deryagina IG. British South Africa in Russian Historiography 1900 – mid-1930s. Analytical Review. Nauchnye vedomosti. Seriya Istoriya. Politologiya. Ekonomika. Informatika. 2010;1(72):64-65. (In Russ.).

12. Zhukov D. Apartheid: History of the Regime. URL: http://www.e-reading.club/bookreader.php/22985/Zhukov_-_Aparteid_ Istoriya_rezhima.html/ (accessed: 15.10.2024). (In Russ.).

13. Native Land Act 1913. URL: https://web.archive.org/web/20120323005902/http://www.polity.org.za/polity/govdocs/legislation/misc/nla1913.html. (accessed: 04.01.2025). (In Russ.).

14. Zimulina LA. Evolution of the national statehood of the British dominions. The British Empire in the 20th century; edited by A.M. Pegushev, E.Yu. Moscow: Institute of General History, Russian Academy of Sciences; 2010. P. 72-80. (In Russ.).

15. Calvocoressi P. World Politics after 1945: Trans. from English. 9th ed., suppl. Moscow: International Relations; 2016. 888 p. (In Russ.).

16. Karpov GA. "White" Africans of Modern Great Britain: Specifics of Migrants from South Africa. Genesis: istoricheskie issledovaniya. 2018;(4):1-13. (In Russ.).

17. Karpov GA. African diasporas of modern Great Britain (Somalis, Zimbabweans, Nigerians, South Africans). Cheboksary: Publishing House Sreda; 2018. 80 p. (In Russ.).

18. Lemin I.M. Aggravation of the Crisis of the British Empire after the Second World War. Moscow: USSR Academy of Sciences; 1951. 565 p. (In Russ.).

19. Madzoevsky SP, Khesin. ES. Modern monopoly capitalism. Great Britain. Moscow: Mysl; 1981. 435 p. (In Russ.).

20. Medushevsky NA, Busygina AV, Sopot МA. Modern policy of Great Britain on the African continent. Teorii i problemy politicheskikh issledovanii. 2021;10(2А):28-43. (In Russ.).

21. International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid. Adopted by resolution 3068 (XXVIII) of the UN General Assembly on 30 November 1973. URL: https://www.un.org/ru/documents/decl_conv/conventions/apartheid1973.shtml (accessed: 04.01.2025). (In Russ.).

22. Ovinnikov RS. Masters of English Policy: Financial Oligarchy and England's Foreign Policy after Suez. 1957-1966. Moscow: International Relations; 1966. 432 p. (In Russ.).

23. The apartheid policy of the Government of the Republic of South Africa. A/PV.1165. 06.11.1962. URL: https://documents.un.org/doc/resolution/gen/nr0/195/17/pdf/nr019517.pdf (accessed: 04.01.2024). (In Russ.).

24. Potekhin II. Imperialist segregation of natives of South Africa. Materials on national-colonial problems. 1935. 6(30). P. 53-120. (In Russ.).

25. The Collapse of the British Empire / [Editorial Board: Dr. of Economics AG. Mileikovsky (editor-in-chief) and others]; USSR Academy of Sciences. Institute of World Economy and International Relations. Moscow: Nauka; 1964. 647 p. (In Russ.).

26. Sidorenko LV. Socio-economic origins of the apartheid regime in South Africa. Vostok. Afro-aziatskie obshchestva: istoriya i sovremennost'. 2023;2:93-103. (In Russ.).

27. Silaeva VA. Effectiveness of sanctions in international politics. Vestnik MGIMO-Universiteta. 2021;14(4);136-153. (In Russ.).

28. Skubko YuS, Shubin GV. Problems of building a non-racial state in South Africa (2006−2009). Moscow: Institute of African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences; 2009. 65 p. (In Russ.).

29. Urnov AYu. South Africa's policy in Africa. Moscow: Nauka; 1982. 276 p. (In Russ.).

30. Francos A. Africa is for Afrikaners. Moscow: Nauka; 1973. P. 232. (In Russ.).

31. Fokeev GV. Foreign policy problems of modern Africa. Moscow: International Relations; 1975. 263 p. (In Russ.).

32. Shubin GV, Maidanov II, Liebenberg Ya. Armed forces and military industry of the Republic of South Africa. Moscow: Publisher I.B. Bely; 2010. 516 p. (In Russ.).

33. Ainsley R. The Devil's Union: Salazar – Verwoerd – Velensky. Translated from English. Moscow: Publishing House of Foreign Literature; 1963. P. 72. (In Russ.).

34. Barber J. South Africa’s Foreign Policy 1945 — 1970. L.: Oxford University Press; 1973. 325 р.

35. Beck RB. The History of South Africa. Westport. London: Greenwood Press; 2000. 248 р.

36. Board of trade. Hansard. Vol. 774. 28.01.1970 P. 1543.

37. Disturbances, Strand. Hansard. Vol. 776. 20.01.1969. P. 43.

38. Foreign affairs. Hansard. Vol. 803. 06.06.1970. P. 345-349.

39. Foreign affairs. Hansard. Vol. 803. 06.06.1970. P. 377, 378, 400-405.

40. Hagopian MN. Regimes, Movements, and Ideologies. N.Y., L.: Longman; 1978. 508 р.

41. Harold Macmillan's "Wind of Change" Speech 03.02.1960. URL: https://www.thoughtco.com/harold-macmillans-wind-of-change- speech-43760 (accessed: 05.01.2025).

42. Lisson A. The Anti-Apartheid Movement, Britain and South Africa: Anti-Apartheid Protest vs Real Politik. Archived 7 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine, PhD Dissertation, 15 September 2000. URL: http://www.anc.org.za/content/anti-apartheid-movement-britain-and- south-africa-anti-apartheid-protest-vs-real-politik/ (accessed: 29.10.2024).

43. Snellen IThM. Apartheid: Checks and Changes. International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs). 1967;43(2):293-306.

44. South Africa (Arms Supplies). Hansard. Vol. 756. 18.12.1967. P. 935.

45. South Africa. Hansard. Vol. 780. 19.03.1969. P. 488.

46. South Africa and supply of arms. Hansard. Vol. 311. 21.07.1970. P. 833-839.

47. South Africa (supply of arms). Hansard. Vol. 687. 22.01.1964. P. 1059.

48. The Economic situation: South Africa arms exports ban. Hansard. Vol 287. 18.12.1967 P. 1291.

49. The South Africa Act, 1909 P. 149-151. URL: https://archive.org/details/jstor-2212266/page/n33/mode/2up (accessed: 04.01.2025).

50. Tossini JV. The UK in South Africa – The Simonstown Agreement. URL: https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/the-uk-in-south-africa-thesimonstown-agreement/ (accessed: 09.01.2025).

51. Union Of South Africa (Racialist Policies). Hansard. Vol. 621. 08.04.1960 P. 786.

52. WYK van J.-A. Nuclear terrorism in Africa: the ANC&s operation mac and the attack on the Koeberg nuclear power station in South Africa. Historia. Durban. 2015;6C(2):51-67.