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Despite being invited in ECSC, Britain declined. They were content for the Europeans – among whom they didn’t necessarily see themselves. They attempted to rebuild Britain as a world power after 6 yy. of war.
At the end of the WW II, Britain’s international prestige was back at its 1919 level (high). She held on to the world strategic role as the main ally of the USA and head of the British Empire.
The pound sterling was the leading international currency, with more than the half the world’s trade conducted in sterling.
Britain believed itself to have closer ties to the Commonwealth, as well as the USA. So the UK sidelined itself, first over the ECSC and then with the EEC.
Instead Britain was willing to create the rival European Free Trade Area that would involve the Scandinavian countries, Portugal and Switzerland.
Throughout the 1950s Britain enjoyed the highest per capita average income among the large industrial nations of Western Europe.
In the early 1960s the British economy started to encounter serious problems centered mainly on international payments and the pound sterling.
Chronic deficit in Britain’s budget and the devaluation of the pound sterling weakened the country’s role in the world.
Though British rates of economic growth were high by historical standards in those times, other European states started to perform better.
In the early 1960s the EEC started to account for more and more of the UK trade, while British exports to the Commonwealth had fallen to 43% of its total exports by 1957.
Entry was beginning to make economic sense, and Conservative PM Harold McMillan applied to join the EC in August 1961.
But in 1963 French President Charles de Gaulle vetoed Britain’s admission, along with bids from Ireland and Denmark, ending talk of expanding the community.
De Gaulle was backed in his decision by German leader Konrad Adenauer. Both men feared the UK was still too close to the USA to co-operate with other European partners.
De Gaulle believed that “if admitted, Britain’d act as the US Trojan horse within the Communities”. De Gaulle was also fearful that Britain’s membership’d balk his ambition to become the leader of Europe.
Harold Wilson, another British PM, attempted to join the Community again in 1967. De Gaulle vetoed the UK’s membership once more.
He said London showed “a lack of interest” in the Common Market and would require a “radical transformation” before joining the EEC.
Once de Gaulle resigned from the French presidency in 1969, former French Prime Minister Georges Pompidou was elected as the new President. He was in favor of the EEC enlargement.
On January 1, 1973 the UK had finally been accepted into Europe – well over 20 years since the project of integration had first begun.
Tory Prime Minister Edward Heath is credited with taking Britain into the European Community.
