About the Book

"ICBH, in association with Institute of Contemporary British History."

Book Synopsis

British policy towards European integration has been one of the most divisive issues in British politics since 1945. Based on a detailed evaluation of the newly-accessible government records, of the Conservative Party records, private papers and interviews, this timely book analyses British European policy between 1945 and de Gaulle's veto against British EEC membership in 1963. It explores, in particular, the ambiguities in Britain's first EEC application of 1961. The epilogue highlights some of the most important continuities in British European policy until the present.

Review Quotes

'An outstanding book about the wars before the beef war - a compelling analysis written from a most valuable multilateral perspective of Britain's loss of the political leadership of Western Europe and her vain struggle to regain it. Compulsory reading for anybody interested in the history and future of the European Union.' - Professor Werner Abelshauser, University of Bielefeld, Germany

About the Author

WOLFRAM KAISER is Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Research Fellow and Lecturer at the University of Vienna. He was previously a Research Fellow at the Kulturwissenschaftliches Institut in Essen, Germany and a Lecturer at Edinburgh University. Dr Kaiser has published widely on the history of European integration and on postwar British history.