Cons 1951-64: 5 Britain and Europe Flashcards
how was the EEC created?
large movement towards mutual cooperation in Western Europe - Treaty of Rome signed in 1957 by ‘the Six’ which formed the EEC
who were ‘the Six’?
France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg
what does EEC stand for?
European Economic Community
what were the terms of the Treaty of Rome?
- establishment of a common market
- adoption of a Common Agricultural Policy
- operate a protectionist policy against all non-member nations
what is a common market?
a trading system between equal states with the minimum of regulation
what does protectionist mean?
making non-Common market goods uncompetitive by denying them entry or placing tariffs on them
what was the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)?
a notion on ending rural poverty by which poorer areas would be subsidised by a transfer of money from the richer areas. this provided farmers with a guaranteed price for food however created higher prices for the consumer. this was a controversial aspect of the EEC
what was the political character of the EEC?
defined as an economic organisation however it was driven by political considerations.
- largely dominated by Germany who wanted to re-establish itself from its Nazi past and France who feared a resurgent from Germany and didn’t want to compete against Germany
- Benelux countries saw it as an opportunity to extract economic concessions from Germany
what were Britain’s attitudes towards the European union?
two main parties post-war initially rejected the idea and believed that Britain’s future lay in its relationship with the USA
- 1960s labour dismissed the idea (led by Gaitskell
- Cons began to have second thoughts
what was the EFTA?
European Free Trade Association (Britain, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland and Denmark) failed to equal the success of the EEC - by 1972 most members had joined the EEC
what condition did Macmillan promise when announcing joining the EEC?
that they would convince the Six that Britain’s trading agreements with the Commonwealth and the EFTA would be preserved
when was the first EEC veto?
1963 by Charles de Gaulle who believed Britain wanted to ‘have its cake and eat it’
‘Britain appeared as a beggar pleading to be allowed to join the feast’
Furthermore, de Gaulle viewed the EEC as a counterbalance to America’s powers and allowing Britain access would undermine that - Britain were the thin edge to the US wedge
why did Britain want to join the EEC?
- concern at their slow economic growth
- ineffectiveness of the EFTA
- City-orientated Cons looked to Europe
- UK’s sense of isolation after Suez 1956
