1st Edition

Reluctant Europeans Britain and European Integration 1945-1998

By David Gowland, Arthur Turner Copyright 2000
    404 Pages
    by Routledge

    404 Pages
    by Routledge

    During the past fifty years few issues in British politics have generated such heated controversy as Britain's approach to European integration. Why has Europe had such an explosive impact on British politics? What impelled British policymakers to embrace a European destiny and why did they take such a cautious approach? These are some of the key issues addressed inThe Reluctant Europeans. This new study draws upon recently available source material providing a clear chronological account and covering events right up to Blair's first year in office and the launch of the Euro.




    Introduction.
    1. Britain, Europe and the Audit of War.
    2. Western Union and the Reconstruction of Western Europe.
    3. 'We Are Not Ready': Britain and the Schuman Plan.
    4. The Case for Association.
    5. The 'Special Relationship' and European Unity.
    6. The Commonwealth Dimension.
    7. From Messina to Rome.
    8. On the Defense.
    9. From Application to Veto.
    10. Ancient Rivalries.
    11. Labour's Retreat into Europe.
    12. Mission Accomplished.
    13. Renegotiating 'Tory Terms'.
    14. 'Full-hearted Consent': The 1975 Referendum.
    15. Semidetached: The Callaghan Government and Europe.
    16. More U-turns: Labour and the EC in the 1980s.
    17. 'Megaphone Diplomacy': Thatcher and the EC, 1979-1984.
    18. Fatal Attraction: Thatcher and the Single European Act.
    19. 'At the Heart of Europe'?
    20. Opting Out: the Maastricht Treaty review.
    21. Eurosceptics versus Europhiles.
    22. 'War at Last': The Beef Crisis of 1996.
    23. Under New Management: the General Election of 1997.
    24. After Amsterdam: Enlargement, Employment and the Euro.
    25. New Labour, Old Problems: the British Presidency of 1998.

    Biography

    David Gowland, Arthur Turner