ronger than that of any other western European country. The image of a powerful industrial and trading nation keeping strong links with the United States and the Commonwealth was still in British minds. The Foreign Office highly promoted a policy of 'atlanticism' and Britain often claimed to belong to three circles of interests: the United States, the Commonwealth and the European Community. This apparent easiness to recover from the war is one of the major explanations for Britain's rather low interest in Europe: conveying the false idea of a healthy and strong economy.
             The independence of India and Pakistan in 1947 was the most significant step in decolonisation and the dismantlement of the British Empire. Britain was losing territories and influence. The beginning of the Cold War made Britain's position fragile. It was no longer th
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