Stručni rad
The Culmination of a Troubled relationship With Europe
Sara Čović
Sažetak
In January 2020, the UK officially became the first country to leave the European Union. That was the outcome of the 2016 referendum where 52% of the electorate in the UK was in favor of leaving the European Union. Such a result showed an extreme polarization of the British society in terms of membership in the EU. A closer examination of the referendum results showed that only England, with the exception of London, and Wales voted by a majority to leave the EU. Some scholars and theorists have focused on examining what effects will Brexit have on politics, economy and society in the UK. Other scholars focused on finding the causes for the will to leave the EU. Most researchers find the turning point that led to Brexit in the period after World War II when the idea of an united Europe was born. However, a deeper insight into the past leads to the conclusion that from its earliest history, the British Isles began to create specific relationships with continental Europe. The experience of weakness and endangerment from the time of Antiquity and the Middle Ages and more fresh memories of the period of the British Empire in which the so-called imperial nationalism and the notion of superiority was formed are noticeable in the collective memory of the British people. Those past experiences can be seen in the results of the 2016 referendum.
Ključne riječi
Brexit, European Union, euroscepticism, historical sociology, imperial nationalism
Hrčak ID:
253236
URI
Datum izdavanja:
5.3.2021.
Posjeta: 1.187 *