Has any country ever had as quick and dramatic a drop in geopolitical relevance as Britain did post WWII without being outright conquered or destroyed?
>>369889
Cuba after the CMC.
>>369889
Britain is still very geopolitically relevant.
You are just comparing it wrongly to the level of power and influence they exhibited while they were a global Empire.
They are still a huge economic and political power, and is a nuclear weapons state.
>>369897
OP didn't say the UK was irrelevant, he said it experienced a massive drop in relevance.
Which it did, the UK went from being THE superpower. The one that set the precedent of what it means to be a superpower for history. The country that the word had to be invented to describe.
Now it's gone from that, to the USA's right hand man, the mere accomplice of their old colony. And France is prime to take that honour at a moment's notice.
>>369889
Britain has the worlds largest cultural output in regards to its population size.
>>369922
It ceded all that power to the United States because of post-colonial thought, and also a revisioning of how modern states should behave on the global arena.
In some sense Britain didn't lose any influence, it gave it away, America being the U.K's bastard son considering.
>>369889
China during the Qing dynasty and early Republican era.
Spainish, Dutch and Porguese empires.
>>369922
It wasn't a sudden drop. Britain had been falling back into the pack from the late 19th century. USA was probably equally powerful from ww1, but without the reputation and prestige.
>>369926
The UK didn't choose to give up their power, nor did the USA exactly step into the British empire shaped hole in the world.
Like every other old world empire their spheres of influence got carved up between the USA and the USSR. There was no torch passed to the USA, that's just anthropomorphizing geopolitics.
>>369929
That's not true, following WWI the USA wasn't much more geopolitically significant than modern Japan or Germany. A big deal, but not massively powerful.
Following WWI, in that brief window before WWII, the UK was at the very peak.
>>369933
There clearly was.
Read Winston Churchill's last speech.
>>369939
On phone so can't check, but IIRC USA and Germany had already caught up in overall gdp and gdp per capita and a lot of other measures (Britain still had the edge of naval power)
>>369964
They were good, but my point is they weren't great.
The good thing about Britain even besides the navy was the massive amount of resources and colonial manpower they could draw from. By virtue of having India alone they could field multiple million man armies.
The USA was good, but the UK was next level.
>>369954
Winston Churchill isn't the king and after the war the government couldn't be rid of him fast enough.
Russia after Cold War
>>369929
> After WW1 America and Britain were equal powers
What do you know of the interwar period? Contemporary American notionalists didn't even believe that.
America was an economic and industrial powerhouse, but as an international actor and military power it only came into it's own during and after WW2.
>>369897
No we're not. We pretend we are.
>>370042
This, our only relevance to the world lays in London being global city. That is all.
Dissolve the UK
Get rid of nukes
Tax the bankers bonus
Pay raises for Nurses
who is this semen demon?
>>370058
We're basically a tax haven these days, we're an offshore island for laundering money used by Russia, US and China along with Arab States
We have a seat at the high table but our opinion is irrelevant
>>370085
The UK is also a hub for education, many world leaders are still educated at it's leading universities.
>>370058
>Muh bankers, Muh bonuses
Awful sniveling leftist bien-pensent nonsense.
Tories are in for the next ten years, get used to it. Maybe even try to make a little money?
>>370061
Aeslag
>>369982
>massive amount of resources and manpower
>US still brings more to the table when it's crunch time
Britain was a paper tiger and what's more is our politicians knew it. That's why we cosied up to the US.
Our concessions in the Washington Naval Treaty were an admittance that the US had at least achieved parity with us, even if they didn't flex their power as often yet.
Argentina has a total absolute economic collapse.
>>369889
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tizard_Mission
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destroyers_for_Bases_Agreement
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Charter
US knew how to wheel and deal back then. GB agreed to some pretty one sided deals.
Britain remained and remains (arguably) the second most culturally-influential country in the world. Not bad for a place with less than 1% of the global population.
>>369924
How the hell do you quantify this
Spain is a better example. It went from controlling a significant fraction of the world to being totally irrelevant by the 20th century.
Britain's position was helped by the fact that, with the notable exception of the United States, its colonies almost all separated on good terms, and with largely fond feelings.
>>370843
>of the world to being totally irrelevant by the 20th century.
Exactly a centuries long process. While OP implied a quick one.
>>370096
Hello /pol/.
>>370843
Animated.
>>370913
nice
>>370913
desu soon the UK will dissolve also
>>371027
I really doubt that. Scotland is the only country that has been interested recently and it was the first country in history to not democratically vote for its own independence and while probably one day they will the attention they're getting these days is more than they've had for a long time. Plus independence really wouldn't be best for Scotland.
>>371049
I think its time we took Scotland by force. Edward I needs that coffin.
We should have broke them like we did the Welsh.
>>370840
Number of successful musicans, movies, actors, etc.
>>371049
I'm a Scot and don't think we'd be better off solo but nationalism is very strong and pretty irrational once the old people die off we'll likely vote to leave the UK in 20 - 30 years and then the UK is what? England Wales and Northern Ireland? Just bin the entire thing at that point.
>>371063
desu Britain was formed under a scot
>>371088
I am also a Scot and I assure you there is still a reasonable amount of us who are smart enough to realize that independence is not in our best interests. And the rest of them are afraid to vote for independence because they're worried if we could even make it on our own after 300 years of union.
Also
>Just bin the entire thing at that point.
For what purpose? Welsh and Northern Irish nationalists? Lmao.
>>370096
*bien pensant
at least learn to spell right your shitposts
>>371083
yeah the cultural output, all the english musicians and movies and actors, they make up a good cultural output you're right
>>369954
>basing your understanding of world politics off politician’s speeches
Britain clung onto international relevance until it was forced to retreat by literally running out of money.
>>370896
Do you really everyone who thinks we should keep nukes is a Neo-Nazi?
>>369939
>the UK was at the very peak.
Nope, the UK's peak was in the 19th century. WW1 left Britain broke and shook up the empire, they lost Ireland in the interwar period, promised india future independence and released the dominions.
Britain was probably at its peak when Disraeli was in charge/
>>371298
No I don't really everyone.
>>370029
After WW1 America was in a much better position to wage war than Britain, but you're right about their international role only coming after ww2. That was incidentally because of the British, too.
>>369889
Dutch republic after the death of William III
>>369929
USA was already then by far the most powerful in the world, it just didn't make use of it/didn't even truly understand how powerful it was.
Sweden had a pretty quick drop.
Went from being quite relevant to completely irrelevant in 21 years (1700-1721, Great Northern War).
>>371271
Pretty much that. Britain was stretched so thin that rationing continued for nearly a decade after VE day, and having an empire wasn't making up for it.
>>372123
that's because everything Britain owned was given to our 'allies' America. For every boat arriving with food one laden with gold sailed west
>>372507
Don't start a war you can't win next time then.
>>372844
In retrospect we should've stayed out of WWI and kept good relations with Germany. But who could've known that at the time?
It didnt drop too low, it sent 20,000 riflemen to iraq in 2003 because of muh oil
>>370840
English language.
You dont quantify it, you just give the cute little bonglanders a hug.
>>371049
>and it was the first country in history to not democratically vote for its own independence
You mean Quebec?
>>373555
The war was coming to England at some point any case. The Kaiser was a cunt.
>>369889
Russia after the breakup of the USSR, they're just now getting their shit back together.
>>370913
Imagine being a Spaniard in the early 19th century. Every six months a new colony declares it's independence, there's political instability at home, country is still damaged by the Peninsular war.
Then in the late 19th, the colonies left are in constant turmoil, until some secondary regional power decides it wants to play that imperial game after all, and steal them from you. Then it's political turmoil again.
It's probably an Aztec curse or some shit like that.
>>371320
Oh, so we can blame it on the Jews, then?
>>374746
As always my friend.
>>370649
I'm form Argentina, and I keep hearing people say that, that we used to be a world power, etc. At one point during WWII we were the 6th greatest economy...
What is this meme? How is having the greatest nations in the world sink donw below you ravaged by war an accomplishment? We sure did miss geopolitical influence, but I can't see it as a downfall, just the ending of a great streak of luck.
Argentina's wealth just came from providing supplies to starving nations, and even with Europe in shambles, they still had a political power and the knowledge of profitting from the rest of the world that goes beyond their economic capabilities at the time. When the war was over, Argentina was relegated to the economic background again, and Europe re-built itself. It was not the first time Europe had to pick up its own pieces, of course they'd surprass Argentina again.
Then, lots of countries that were utter shitholes became large economic forces (Brazil, China, India). Albeit still being utter shitholes in large areas, the governements had lots of concetrated power (and cheap manpower) they used to bring their economies up to speed
We sure failed miserably, being the first peaceful nuclear nation and struggling to have a consistent nucler energy policy, but I fail to see the position of Argentina during WWII as a "consolidated" power.
Alberto Barbosas Moortugal
>>374455
People in general didn't really care about the loss of colonies until 1898 though. Public opinion didn't exist and there were too much important problems at home to care about what was happening on the other side of the ocean.
Judging by it's small implication in the different independence wars the spanish state didn't care much either, though this indifference was a forced one since they could do nothing about it.
The loss of Cuba was a bigger shock for the collective memory than the loss of the whole south america. Times had changed and a bunch of intellectuals going all about "oh holy fuck Spain has become shit" and inflencing the peoples mind was possible now.
Italy
>>370843
>without being outright conquered or destroyed
Spain was conquered, though. The American colonies effectively broke away when Napoleon invaded and the Bourbons lost de facto power.
>>370913
I forgot that the Catalonia's "East Spain/Barcelona" want to have independence from Spain.
>>371049
To be honest, it just takes one generation to get the idea of independence stuck in the public.
>>369986
He was prime minister 1951-1955 as well, you have no idea what you are talking about
>>377694
terrible prime minister though
>>369889
>not posting best pic
>>379137
Who is this fitty?
Mongolia after Kublai
>>379282
Layal Abboud, a lebanese singer.
>>379334
I thank you, my cock thanks you.
>>371049
The independance movement will start to unravel in about 10 years. The majority of s ots don't want to leave, it's just the ones that do shout about it constantly. They will slowly become aware of the inadequacies and lies of the SNP, same as they did with labour.
Many of my friends and family voted yes and about half that did don't want independance, they want federalism. If Britain is re organised in a meaningful way to give more power to regions (including English regions) then scots will never vote for independance. I also met a fair few who voted yes as a protest vote becouse they always new it would be no in the end. The SNP itself have also given up on independance for now. (Which puts sturgeon on a very difficultly position as a lot of its new members after the referendum want to hold another now, which would be a massive strategic mistake. The party could fall to infighting)
The SNP are the most competent politicians in the UK but are mediocre at best at governing. People will wake up to the propaganda and spin eventually
>>371337
Unusually for an island Britain finished ww1 with the strongest army in the world and lots of new territory. The mental scares from the war and the great depression had them bin most of it in favour of a strong navy and RAF. Hence the failures at the start of ww2
>>373567
Actually it sent 45,000
