Britain and Europe

Britain & Europe

Analyse Britain’s changing attitudes towards European integration between 1948 and 1973.

Intro :

1. Britain stays ouf of Europe (1948-1960)

1. British history of isolation

• Britain’s history as an island : For centuries "we lived in splendid isolation, protected by the Navy and the Empire" historian Vernon Bogdanor

1. British pride at the end of WWII

• End of WW2 : For the British public opinion, Britain was the true hero of WWII, they felt superior in this way to the other european countries who had succumbed to fascism (+ the Commonwealth & British empire was still strong) and and felt as they did not need them to rebuild.
• One of Europe’s founders, Jean Monnet, said that Britain not joining Europe was “the price of victory - the illusion that you could maintain what you had, without change”

1. Britain attempts to enter (1960-1973)

1. A switch in power

• While Britain had acted as a guiding father for your Europe (cf. Churchill’s speech, Zurich, 1946), in the 60’s France and Germany had become economic powerhouses while England was struggling to keep up. Suddenly the idea of joining the EEC seemed more profitable to Britain.

1. A strong opposition

• Britain’s first two attempts at joining the EEC were met with strong opposition, especially from CDG. He accused the Britain of having a “deep-seated hostility towards the EU” and joining only for selfish interest. While there is a part of truth in this speech, it can be noted that CDG did not want England to come and compete with France and Germany for power over Europe.

→ Conclusion:

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