UK and European Integration: History and Politics

📋 Course Outline

1. European integration after World War II
2. UK reluctance toward EEC membership
3. British accession and De Gaulle’s veto
4. Thatcher’s euroscepticism and Bruges speech
5. CAP budget crisis and UK opt-outs
6. Maastricht Treaty and the Social Chapter
7. Rise of UKIP and eurosceptic turn
8. Brexit referendum campaign and vote divides
9. Brexit negotiations, hard vs soft options
10. Brexit economic impacts and post-2016 politics
11. UK-EU security partnership and Erasmus association

📖 1. European integration after World War II

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• European integration : European integration is the post-1945 process where European states cooperate to rebuild and prevent renewed conflict.
• Franco-German reconciliation : Franco-German reconciliation is the political settlement between France and Germany presented as the core of European unity.
• Council of Europe : The Council of Europe is an institution Churchill said Europe needed as part of its unity effort.
• United States of Europe : United States of Europe is the idea of a unified Europe that Churchill argued could give Europe a stronger global position.
• Maastricht Treaty : The Maastricht Treaty is the 1992 agreement that led to the EU as a supranational organization.

📝 Essential Points