ABSTRACT
In 1913 Britain was the only nation whose economic interests were global1 and the only one whose status as a great pow er rested upon w orld-w ide com m it ments. She had neither the sheer size o f population and territory w hich gave a country like Russia great power, despite her relative economic backwardness, nor the enormous internal market and wealth o f natural resources w hich fuelled the growth o f the U nited States. It was a recognition o f the strength and the vulner ability resulting from this world-w ide system w hich dictated the general lines o f British foreign policy.2
