Britain + Europe Flashcards
(8 cards)
OEEC
- Created 1948
- Oversee Marshall Aid
NATO
- Founded 1949
- Founding member
Council of Europe
- Founded 1949
- Founding member
Treaties signed with European nations
- Benelux
- France
- West Germany
ECSC
- Created 1951
- Viewed as a threat to sovereignty and a challenge to Empire
Political divisions over EEC:
Labour Left opposed EEC seeing it as supporting capitalism, wanted nationalised economic control (government control as opposed to business control).
Conservative Right feared EEC would jeopardise the Commonwealth by weakening trade deals, and British sovereignty by losing control over their laws and economy.
1975: Referendum under Wilson showed majority support for membership.
Relations under Thatcher:
1980: Thatcher criticized Britain’s high EEC budget contributions.
Won a rebate (a partial refund of money already paid to the EEC budget) in 1984 after prolonged negotiation.
Bruges Speech (1988): warned against a “European super-state”; promoted economic cooperation over political union.
Conservative divisions
ERM
- Stabilise exchange rates between European currencies and Prepare countries for a single European currency in 1990
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