Superpower Britain: The 1945 Vision and Why it Failed

History tells us that the Second World War broke Britain as a great power, diminishing its military strength, ruining its economy, and precipitating a striking wave of decolonization. Nationalists and new superpowers dominated the post-war landscape, and the country was on the slide. But no one knew this in 1945 - the leading politicians, the top civil servants, and the most knowledgeable experts, all expected the British Empire to remain intact long into the future. There was no hint of im...