Reluctant Europeans: Britain and European Integration 1945-1998

by Gowland,David

• ISBN13: 9780582369566
• ISBN10: 0582369568
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 1999-10-13
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

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.

Author Biography

David Gowland is Acting Head of Department and a Senior Lecturer in the Department of History at the University of Dundee.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations Used in the Text	ix
Introduction	1	(8)
Britain, Europe and the Audit of War	9	(16)
Western Union and the Reconstruction of Western Europe	25	(15)
`We are not ready': Britain and the Schuman Plan	40	(15)
The Case for Association	55	(14)
The `Special Relationship' and European Unity	69	(14)
The Commonwealth Dimension	83	(13)
From Messina to Rome	96	(14)
On the Defensive	110	(15)
From Application to Veto	125	(16)
Ancient Rivalries	141	(11)
Labour's Retreat into Europe	152	(16)
Mission Accomplished	168	(16)
Renegotiating `Tory Terms'	184	(14)
`Full-hearted Consent': the 1975 Referendum	198	(16)
Semi-detached: the Callaghan Government and Europe	214	(16)
More U-turns: Labour and the EC in the 1980s	230	(14)
`Megaphone Diplomacy': Thatcher and the EC, 1979--1984	244	(15)
Fatal Attraction: Thatcher and the Single European Act	259	(16)
`At the Heart of Europe'?	275	(9)
Opting out: the Maastricht Treaty Review	284	(9)
Eurosceptics versus Europhiles	293	(17)
`War at Last': the Beef Crisis of 1996	310	(12)
Under New Management: the General Election of 1997	322	(19)
After Amsterdam: Enlargement, Employment and the Euro	341	(13)
New Labour, Old Problems: The British Presidency of 1998	354	(11)
Suggestions for Further Reading	365	(9)
Chronological Table	374	(7)
Map: The Enlargement of the European Community	381	(1)
Index	382