Harold Wilson's EEC application
Subtitle: inside the Foreign Office 1964-7
By: Jane Toomey.
Publisher: University College Dublin Press
Published: 2007
Place of publication: Dublin, Ireland
Language: eng
Number of pages: 147
ISBN-13: 9781904558699
Subjects: Great Britain -- Foreign relations -- 1964-1979; Great Britain -- Foreign relations -- Europe; Europe -- Foreign relations -- Great Britain; Europe -- Economic integration
Description: "Britain's policy towards Europe in the latter half of the twentieth century has been the subject of endless debate. The European question has dominated foreign policy agendas from Churchill to Blair. This book seeks to further our knowledge of one of the most crucial periods for both Britain and Europe but also to enliven the debate concerning fundamental issues. Why, against a backdrop of the burgeoning 1960s, did the Labour Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, seek to replicate the path taken by his Conservative predecessor Harold Macmillan and make an application to join the EEC? And why was he unable to succeed? These two questions are central to this book and their answers provide invaluable insights into the formulation, execution and fate of Britain's European policy during this period." "Using newly released archival material in the National Archives and having conducted extensive interviews with many of the key political figures, Jane Toomey not only challenges old assumptions but also offers a new interpretation of Wilson's European diplomacy."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 140-142) and index.