Nineteenth-century British politics cultivated the idea that it was Britain’s responsibility to enforce its virtues upon the rest of the world. Domestic and foreign issues became linked by...Show moreNineteenth-century British politics cultivated the idea that it was Britain’s responsibility to enforce its virtues upon the rest of the world. Domestic and foreign issues became linked by fundamental themes as new forces of liberalism, political reform and religious pluralism challenged the old English regime. The Belgian Revolt, and its diplomatic and political aftermath, had a tremendous impact on the ideological struggle in Parliament. The opinion and interest for the Belgian case and the appropriate British response to it led to many intense parliamentary debates in the years 1830-1834. Furthermore, the Belgian question influenced discussions on other significant issues in British politics, such as parliamentary reform, repeal of the union with Ireland, collaboration with the Concert of Europe, France and the Holy Alliance. As foreign policy and domestic affairs became integrated through fundamental themes, an ideological struggle erupted and political parties presented themselves as more patriotic than their rivals. Consequently, the Belgian question became the battleground on which English intellectual, cultural and moral ideas were projected.Show less
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...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
