2004/01/01 by David Miers · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Scottish History and National Identity #Political Systems and Governance #Political and Economic history of UK and US
paper · doi:10.1057/9780230523159_2
openalex publication_date 2004/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/25
This chapter’s purpose is to set the scene for the detailed accounts which follow of the relationship between Westminster and Europe. It does so in two interconnected ways. First, it reviews the main developments that took place following the United Kingdom’s accession to the European Economic Community (EEC) on 1 January 1973. These are traced through key legislative events: the Single European Act 1986, the Treaty on European Union 1992 (TEU), the Treaty of Amsterdam 1997 and the Treaty of Nice 2001. Their cumulative and intended effect has been the progressive enlargement (widening) and integration (deepening) of the Community. The chapter comments, secondly, on the nature of the United Kingdom’s ambivalent relationship with the Community, in particular concerning the question whether deeper integration would best serve its long-term interests. In terms of British politics, this was perhaps the most acrimonious question of the latter half of the twentieth century. Two of its most prominent casualties were Margaret Thatcher and John Major, both of whose terms as Prime Minister foundered on deep-rooted divisions within the Conservative Party over the question of European integration. Despite its pro-European rhetoric, New Labour has pursued a cautious policy, vividly demonstrated by the United Kingdom’s non-participation in the launch of the Euro on 1 January 2002. 1 These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.