Britain and Europe: a study of attitudes in Britain towards Britain's post-war relationship with Western Europe 1942-45

Abstract

I was drawn to this topic of research by my interest in the European movement its evolution over the past thirty odd years and, in particular the British response to these developments. A great deal has been written in this field for the 1950s, 60s and 70s, but there is almost nothing on the war period itself. This seemed an important gap, for the war was the context within which the nations of Western Europe became open to the possibility of a radically new ordering of the economic and political life of the Continent. And it was in the context of the war that Britain rose to a position of unparalleled prestige vis-a-vis her European allies who looked to her to provide the leadership essential for such an ambitious undertaking. I have taken the period from 1942-3 when the tide of war turned against the Axis Powers and Allied victory was certain, to the end of 1945, when the period of flux was ending and the first outlines of the Cold War were already apparent. This thesis, then, is an attempt to contribute something to the first chapter of the ongoing Britain-and-Europe debate as it emerged from the Second World War - still a controversial issue today.