Britain and European integration 1945-1998: A documentary history

Book abstract:

The process of European integration has dominated the political scene for much of the period since the end of the Second World War. This book examines the British role in the integration process from the early post-war years right up to the latest question of British membership of the single European currency.

The book brings together a varied collection of previously inaccessible documents for the period 1945-1998 which are accompanied by a detailed analysis of events from the two editors, David Gowland and Arthur Turner, who are both lecturers in history at the University of Dundee.

The book is divided into 11 chapters which cover events in a largely chronological order, beginning with 'Reconstruction and European Unity: 1945 -1949'. There are two specific chapters which focus on Britain's international role beyond Europe in the period 1945-1960s: the first examines the special relationship with the United States of America; and the second explores the relationship with the Commonwealth countries. Two other notable chapters include one on the period when the Thatcher government was in power, and the latest which examines the approach to European integration taken by the New Labour government in the late 1990s.

This book will be useful for students of politics, modern British history and European studies.