Yeah I know remnants still exists, France still indirectly controls a lot of african nations' currency etc but why did they have to relinquish direct control?
Yeah I know remnants still exists, France still indirectly controls a lot of african nations' currency etc but why did they have to relinquish direct control?
Its not merely that it was too expensive, it was too expensive while Britain and France were massively in debt to the US. This also gave the US great influence to pressure Britain and France to decolonize, because in the late 40s and 50s FDR-style aspirational liberal internationalism still held sway that favored decolonization.