Conclusion

Abstract

The picture which emerges from this study is one of uncertainty and inconsistency in the formulation of British foreign policy during a period of transition from war to peacetime, and one in which the international system was in the process of being reconfigured. This study has shown how British planning for postwar Poland was thrown into disarray not long after the end of the war. It has also demonstrated that the British did not regard the derailment of their Polish policy as inevitable. On the contrary, there was an expectation on the part of British leaders and policymakers that they would continue to exert influence on the postwar political settlement in Poland. Instead, economic crisis, diplomatic obstacles, and an unmanageable number of—often conflicting—foreign policy priorities led Britain to withdraw from the attempt to influence the Polish political settlement.