'A dazzling perspective on the current EU referendum debate' Prospect Magazine Britain has always had a tangled, complex, paradoxical role in Europe's history. It has invaded and been invaded, changed sides, stood aloof, acted with both brazen cynicism and the cloudiest idealism. Every century troops from the British isles have marched across the mainland in pursuit of a great complex of different goals, foremost among them the intertwined defence of parliamentary liberty in Britain and the 'Liberties of Europe'. Dynastically Britain has been closely linked to countries as varied as Spain, the Netherlands, Germany and France. In this bracing and highly enjoyable book, Brendan Simms describes the highlights and low-points in the Euro-British encounter, from the Dark Ages to the present. The critical importance of understanding this history is shown in the final chapter, which dramatizes the issues around British relations with the European Union and the how, far from being a narrowly legalistic or financial concern, a referendum on continued membership raises all kinds of fascinating questions about both the United Kingdom's own horizons and what it can offer to the Union's vision of itself. Britain's Europe is a vital intervention at a moment of both great danger and great opportunity.

This study patterns national identity over a number of important historical milestones and brings the debates over Europe up-to-date with an analysis of recent happenings including the referendum on Scottish independence, the global economic crisis and the current crisis in Syria.

Brexit is the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. The relationship between Great Britain and the European Union is a long and complicated one, the UK opted out of a membership in the EU (or then European Economic Community) back in 1950, set up a rival group known as the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 1961, applied for EU membership in 1971 where it became an "awkward partner" for decades only to withdraw at midnight on 31 January 2020 at which time it became a fully sovereign country again Historical Dictionary of Brexit contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 300 cross-referenced entries terms, persons and events that shaped Brexit. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Brexit.