Britain and Japan are both island nations and former empires. But, despite their similarities, their economic and military experiences since World War II have been shaped by their roles as victors and vanquished in that war, as well as by their divergent cultures. A comparison of their roles in the Korean War and the Gulf War more than 40 years later teaches some important lessons about national character as well as the persistence of historical memory.
When the Korean War began in 1950, Great Britain's economy was rebounding but was still only in the beginning stages of recovery from five years of war-related overspending. It was also struggling to absorb the economic shock of the first stages of withdrawal from its far-flung empire. As the generally benign, but often self-righteous mistress of the British Empire, for more than 200 years Britain had enjoyed the economic cushion of trading opportunities, employment for soldiers and administrators, markets and raw materials. Somehow, Britain had to replace this largess with more straightforward trading relationships and national manufacturing.
History offers few, if any, examples of a colonizer willing to let its colonies depart in peace. Nevertheless, the process was a slow one, not clearly perceived at the start. Britain, accustomed to empire and the victorious hero of a long and isolated struggle against Nazi Germany, expected, somewhat unrealistically, to maintain its position of importance in the world. The Labour government that swept into office after the war, in addition to presiding over recovery, laid the foundations for a vastly expanded network of social services, including nationalization of major industries and the institution of the National Health Service. Another psychological blow was struck by the devaluation of the pound in 1949, which pleased economists but seemed the end of a cherished institution to nearly everyone else. Then, in the spring of 1950, just...