National identity in politics - An analysis of British parliamentary debates on European integration 1957-1975

In this thesis an analysis is made of the British parliamentary debates on European integration in the period from 1957 to 1975. This is done in order to better understand the role of identity narratives in political debates in general and specifically the role of conceptions of and narratives on British national identity in these parliamentary debates on European integration. During this period the United Kingdom first left the initiative to create an EEC, only to apply for membership three years later in 1961. After two failed applications the UK became a member state in 1973, which received direct popular support through the 1975 ‘in-or-out’-referendum after the Wilson government had renegotiated the terms. In this thesis it is argued that national identity narratives actively shaped political opinion in these years and thus the political process as well. Political, economic and other types of arguments were deliberately linked to and intertwined with identity narratives with the...Show moreIn this thesis an analysis is made of the British parliamentary debates on European integration in the period from 1957 to 1975. This is done in order to better understand the role of identity narratives in political debates in general and specifically the role of conceptions of and narratives on British national identity in these parliamentary debates on European integration. During this period the United Kingdom first left the initiative to create an EEC, only to apply for membership three years later in 1961. After two failed applications the UK became a member state in 1973, which received direct popular support through the 1975 ‘in-or-out’-referendum after the Wilson government had renegotiated the terms. In this thesis it is argued that national identity narratives actively shaped political opinion in these years and thus the political process as well. Political, economic and other types of arguments were deliberately linked to and intertwined with identity narratives with the goal of generating political effect. By means of this research and its results this study seeks to add to the historiography on Britain and the European integration process, which had been lacking both in research focusing on political debate as well as in research on the role of identity narratives therein.Show less

Leiden University Student Repository

Documents

In Collections

National identity in politics - An analysis of British parliamentary debates on European integration 1957-1975