Great Britain was the world's foremost power during the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. Until the Suez crisis of 1956, the country was considered a 'superpower'. After 1956 however, with the loss of the empire, its dominant role in global affairs was gradually diminished1、c olonial expansion 16th century 殖民扩张British foreign relations since 1600 have focused on achieving a balance of power, with no country controlling the continent of Europe. The chief enemy, from the Hundred Years' War until the defeat of Napoleon (1337-1815) was France, a larger country with a more powerful army. The British were generally successful in their many wars, with the notable exception of the American War of Independence (1775–1783), when Britain, without any major allies, was defeated by the colonials who had the support of France, the Netherlands and Spain. A favored diplomatic strategy was subsidizing the armies of continental allies, such as Prussia, thereby turning London's enormous financial power to military advantage. Britain relied heavily on its Royal Navy for security, seeking to keep it the most powerful fleet afloat with a full complement of bases across the globe.The British built up a very large worldwide British Empire, which peaked in size in the 1920-40 era and in wealth around 1900, then began to shrink until by the 1970s almost nothing was left but a "Commonwealth of Nations" that had little to do.[2] Britain finally turned its attention to the continent, joining the European Union.[3]After 1900 Britain ended its "splendid isolation" by developing friendly relationswith the United States and Japan 1902. Even more important—by forming the Triple Entente with France (1904) and Russia (1907), thus forging the anti-German alliance that fought the First World War (1914-1918). The "special relationship" with the U.S. endured. It played a pivotal role in the Second World War and the Cold War, and is in effect today through NATO. By 2014, however, the debate was underway whether Britain should reduce or cut its ties with the EU, and whether Scotland should leave the UK.[2、splendid isolation WW1大陆均势Splendid isolation is the foreign policy pursued by Great Britain during the late 19th century, especially under the Conservative Party premierships of Benjamin Disraeli and the Marquess of Salisbury.[1] The term was coined by a Canadian politician to praise Britain's minimal involvement in European affairs. There has been much debate among historians as to whether this policy was intentional or forced on Britain by contemporary events. Some historians, such as John Charmley, have argued that splendid isolation was a fiction for the period prior to the Franco-Russian Alliance of 1892, and that the policy was reluctantly pursued thereafter.[2]The Earl of Derby enunciated the policy in 1866 when he was foreign minister:it is the duty of the Government of this country, placed as it is withregard to geographical position, to keep itself upon terms of goodwillwith all surrounding nations, but not to entangle itself with any single ormonopolizing alliance with any one of them; above all to endeavor notto interfere needlessly and vexatiously with the internal affairs of anyforeign country."[2][3]Background: During the late 19th century, Britain's primary goal in foreign policy was to maintain the balance of power in Europe and to intervene should that balance be upset. Its secondary goal was to protect its overseas interest in the colonies and dominions, as free trade was what kept the Empire alive. The sea routes to the colonies, especially those linking Britain to India(via the Suez Canal), were vital.The policy of 'Splendid Isolation' is perceived to have been characterized by a reluctance to enter into permanent European alliances or commitments with the other Great powers and by an increase in the importance given to British colonies, protectorates and dependencies overseas in an era of increasing competition in the wider world, a situation relatively unknown since Britain's conflicts with France during the eighteenth century.Abandonment of this policySome historians argue that Britain's isolation was formally ended by the 1902 Anglo-Japanese Alliance. However this is disputed by T.G. Otte, who argues that the Anglo-Japanese Alliance actually reinforced Britain's aloofness from the continent and the European alliance systems.[9]Britain began to normalize its relations with European countries that it had disputes with, and the Entente cordiale and theAnglo-Russian Entente were signed in 1904 and 1907 respectively. The Alliance System was finally formed in the same year as the Triple Alliance and Triple Entente, and is considered an important factor in the outbreak of World War I.[10]3、allied powers 协约国一战时4、splendid isolation5、Policy of Appeasement WW2绥靖主义On 1 September 1939, German forces invaded Poland; Britain and France joined the war against Germany. Chamberlain's conduct of the war was not popular and, on 10 May 1940, Winston Churchill became Prime Minister. In July, some politicians inside and outside the government were still willing to consider Hitler's peace offer, but Churchill would not.[13] Chamberlain died on 9 November the same year. Churchill delivered a tribute to him in which he said, "Whatever else history may or may not say about these terrible, tremendous years, we can be sure that Neville Chamberlain acted with perfect sincerity according to his lights and strove to the utmost of his capacity and authority, which were powerful, to save the world from the awful, devastating struggle in which we are now engaged." [14]After 1945 Britain systematically reduced its overseas commitments. Practically all the colonies became independent. Britain reduced its involvements in the Middle east, with the humiliating Suez Crisis of 1956 marking the end of its status as a superpower. However Britain did forge close military ties with the United States, and with traditional foes such as France and Germany, in the NATO military alliance. After years of debate (and rebuffs), Britain joined the Common Market in 1973; it is now theEuropean Union.[6] However it did not merge financially, and kept the pound separate from the Euro, which kept it partly isolated from the EU financial crisis of 2011.[7]6、Three Circle Diplomacy:三环外交19487、Iron curtain policy 铁幕政策 1946The Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological conflict and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolized efforts by the Soviet Union to block itself and its satellite states from open contact with the west and non-Soviet-controlled areas. On the east side of the Iron Curtain were the countries that were connected to or influenced by the Soviet Union. On either side of the Iron Curtain, states developed their own international economic and military alliances:Member countries of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance and the Warsaw Pact, with the Soviet Union as the leading stateMember countries of the European Community and/or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and with the United States as the leading countryFollowing a period of economic and political stagnation under Brezhnev and his immediate successors, the Soviet Union decreased its intervention in Eastern Bloc politics. Mikhail Gorbachev (General Secretary from 1985) decreased adherence to the Brezhnev Doctrine,[70] which held that if socialism were threatened in any state then other socialist governments had an obligation to intervene to preserve it, in favor of the "Sinatra Doctrine". He also initiated the policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (economic restructuring). A wave of Revolutions occurred throughout the Eastern Bloc in 1989.8、splendid isolation policy made a comeback in the British media in 2011, when UK Prime Minister David Cameron refused to back a deal to rescue the euro zone.[苏伊士] The EU plan for the banks was aimed to solve the European sovereign-debt crisis, by amending the EU treaties, which included the EU financial transaction tax. It would have cost Britain an estimated £26 billion a year. The veto was welcomed by Conservative MPs who support the traditional Tory stance of "splendid isolation" in Europe, and advocate financial independence to regulate its own financial market.9、Gunboat diplomacy 炮舰外交The Second Anglo-Burmese War; 缅因战争5 April 1852 – 20 December 1852) was the second of the three wars fought between the Burmese and British forces during the 19th century, with the outcome of the gradual extinction of Burmese sovereignty and independence；The Second Opium War, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860. It was fought over similar issues as the First Opium War.补充：WW1 1914 - Again highlighted the fact that Britain was going to lose superpower status because of other countries had better economies, that weregrowing faster, they had higher standard of living, better health and a more educated nation.Prince George, son of Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge has caught the attention of the world and led a trend of "diaper diplomacy1" during his first foreign visit to New Zealand and Australia. The trip also reminds the public of his father's first appearance in Oceania more than 30 years ago乔治小王子——英国威廉王子和妻子凯瑟琳（剑桥公爵夫人）所生的儿子——首次海外出访，在新西兰和澳大利亚率先开展“尿布外交”，引来全球瞩目。