Why has Britain's relationship with Europe proved controversial? Flashcards
Why did Britain’s relationship cause little domestic controversy in the aftermath of WW2?
Britain played a central role in creating the OEEC set up in 1948 to administer Marshall Aid
One of the original signatories of NATO in 1949
Founding member of the Council of Europe, established in May 1949 to promote unity and human rights
It committed itself to the defence of Europe by a series of treaties
Why did controversy emerge?
The EEC was developed in the 1950s
Moves towards European Unity appeared to threaten national sovereignty
British interest was limited
What did Britain play no part in?
The ECSE
1955 meeting at Messina that led to the 1957 Treaty of Rome
Why did Conservative governments of the 1950s not join the EEC?
Hoped to make the colonial Empire and the Commonwealth into a strong trading bloc
Disliked the commitment to closer union contained in the Treaty of Rome
Didn’t believe that France and Germany could overcome centuries of hostility quickly enough to make the EEC a success
What did Macmillan realise and what did he try to do?
That Britain’s colonial empire had no future
Establish a new relationship with Europe
What did he do in 1960?
Established the EFTA as a rival to the EEC that wouldn’t infringe national sovereignty
What happened in 1961?
The scale of Britain’s economic difficulties convinced Macmillan that Britain needed to join the Common Market to compete with Europe
Why was the left of Labour opposed to Britain joining the Common Market?
Wanted to extend nationalised control of the British economy
Didn’t want to join an organisation committed to free enterprise
Why was a faction in the Conservative Party opposed to joining the Common Market?
Looked back nostalgically to the days of the empire
Believed it would jeopardise or entirely sever Britain’s ties with the Commonwealth
When did Britain join and why were divisions apparent?
1973
Heath could only secure a majority with the support of pro-European Labour MPs
What did Wilson choose to do?
Tackle the divisions within Labour by holding a national referendum in June 1975
What was the outcome of the referendum and what did this demonstrate?
2:1
The majority of British people accepted the pro-European argument that membership was vital to overcoming Britain’s economic difficulties
Why did British attitudes towards Europe change?
Loss of empire
The economic success of the EEC compared with EFTA
The premiership of Heath, who was a pro-European
Encouragement from the US to join
The retirement of CDG in 1969 made British entry possible
Who played a key role in campaigning for a ‘yes’ vote in the referendum?
Thatcher
What did Thatcher do in 1980 and what were the consequences?
Convinced that Britain was making a disproportionately large contribution to the EEC budget, she exclaimed: ‘I want my money back!’
What happened in 1988?
Contributions were reduced by £3.5bn in a process that damaged relations with other member countries
What did Thatcher think?
That Conservative economic policy had brought about economic recovery
What did Thatcher do in 1988?
Denounced ‘a European super-state exercising a new dominance from Brussels’
What did Conservative MPs believe and why?
That Britain should play a major role in Europe, believing that the benefits of closer integration outweighed the disadvantages
What did some of Thatcher’s senior ministers believe?
That inflation could best be tackled by Britain joining the ERM
Why was the Eurosceptic wing emboldened?
Britain’s humiliating withdrawal from the ERM in 1992 and subsequent economic recovery confirmed their view that Britain didn’t benefit from European membership
What did the Maastricht Treaty bring together and why?
The Conservatives who wanted to leave the EEC with those who believed the EEC should be no more than a trade partnership
Feared that Britain would become a federal state
What did the pro-Europeans maintain and what did they argue?
Eurosceptic fears were exaggerated
That Britain benefited from being part of the world’s largest single market
That free movement removed obstacles to businesses within Europe
That the EU attracted more investment into Britain from outside Europe than Britain could achieve alone
