Europejskie dylematy Wielkiej Brytanii - od planu Schumana do Brexitu
The European dilemmas of Great Britain – from the Schuman Plan to Brexit

Summary/Abstract: On 23 June 2016 the British in a referendum decided to leave the EU. The decision triggered an enormous wave of commentaries, a majority of which focused on the recently emergent problems of Great Britain and the EU. The author of the article argues that although those issues significantly influenced the referendum result the causes of the decision are more profound. First and foremost it should be emphasized that the British from the very beginning of the process of European integration treated it with reserve and for a long time had no intention of joining it and even tried to restrain it. When in 1973 Great Britain became a member of the European Communities it did not engage in the mainstream of the process of European integration and unlike France and the FR did not become its driving force. The British leaders either failed or did not want to convince British people of the benefits of membership in the European Communities. Successive British governments treated European affairs instrumentally, having the current political game in view. Moreover, European integration was an issue that affected deep internal divisions among the Tories and the Labourites. In consequence, the British society became increasingly convinced that European cooperation jeopardized rather than served their national interests. The policy of PM Cameron, who awkwardly tried to reconcile the interests of the opponents and supporters of EU membership eventually led to the victory of the former.

• Details
• Contents