The end of a great power

Having refused to participate in the European Economic Community (EEC), the United Kingdom became aware of the isolation that it had brought upon itself, especially since the special relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States cooled after the 1956 Suez Crisis. The Empire on which Britain’s status as a world power had rested until the Second World War collapsed, and the political and strategic ties with the Commonwealth were relaxed. The complementary nature of the British economy and those of its former colonies continued to decline throughout the 1960s.

Subsequently, fearing that the continent would unite without it, the United Kingdom turned increasingly to Europe and the European Economic Community (EEC). The United States supported the United Kingdom’s application for accession in order to counterbalance the influence of Gaullist France and prevent the Community from drifting towards protectionism.