In this innovative study of the forces that shape the decisions of foreign policy leaders, Michael Blackwell examines the attitudes of British policy makers immediately after World War II and considers their impact on foreign and economic policy. Despite the critical remarks they had made while in opposition, the Ministers in the Labour Cabinet elected in 1945 shared the traditional attitudes of Foreign Office officials regarding Britain's preeminent position in international affairs. Blackwell analyzes the origins of these attitudes and draws a distinction between their cognitive and...