The Special Relationship

The Special Relationship

The Heart Of That Relationship

A paper about the "special relationship" between the United States and United Kingdom must start with the root of the phrase. In 1946 Winston Churchill gave his historic "Iron Curtain" speech and used the term to refer to the close relations that developed during the Second World War between America and Great Britain. For England, friendly relations with the United States were essential to counter the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe. America needed the relationship for the implementation of its policy of containment throughout the Cold War. Both nations hold strong alliances with a range of other countries, but this relationship is considered the strongest bond for both. The alliance is unusual in the level of cooperation in military planning, development of new technology and intelligence gathering.
Though the relationship can be considered to have its roots in World War I or the Great War it didn't gain prominence public or private until World War II. Then led by Winston Churchill, whose mother was an American citizen, the relationship grew to its peak. Explaining that relationship Chruchill said this:
“Neither the sure prevention of war, nor the continuous rise of world organization will be gained without what I have called the fraternal association of the English-speaking peoples ...a special relationship between the British Commonwealth and Empire and the United States. Fraternal association requires not only the growing friendship and mutual understanding between our two vast but kindred systems of society, but the continuance of the intimate relationship between our military advisers, leading to common study of potential dangers, the similarity of weapons and manuals of instructions, and to the interchange of officers and cadets at technical colleges. It should carry with it the continuance of the present facilities for mutual security by the joint use of all Naval and Air Force bases in the possession of either...

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