Britain and the European Union

'The choice is between Utopia and Hell.'            Sir William Beveridge 

Background

Britain's relationship with the rest of Europe is long and complicated. The Library has a unique archive of primary research material; from the notes of key political figures, to the internal documents, minutes and pamphlets of campaigning organisations and think tanks covering all aspects of the debate. 

Some highlights from this collection selected by Daniel Payne, Curator for Politics and International Relations, include: 

Think tanks

Ideas of a federated Europe began to escalate around the time of the Second World War with the establishment of organisations exploring what a post-war Europe should look like. These include:   

• The Federal Trust was a think tank formed in 1945 which to this day studies the link between regional, national, European and global levels of government.

• The European Movement was founded in July 1948 as an all-party group to support and campaign for greater European unity.

• The Bruges Group set up in 1989, its aim is to promote the idea of a less centralised European structure. 

Referendums

A referendum was held in 1975 on Britain’s continued membership of the European Economic Community (EEC), at the time also known as the 'Common Market'. We hold a variety of campaigning literature from both sides of the referendum debate:

• LSE Brexit Vote blog post explores the 1975 collections, including campaigning leaflets and pamphlets.

• All is ephemera: will the information produced during the EU referendum last beyond 2016. Read the blog post about our project to collect campaigning material for the 2016 referendum. 

People

Since the Library was founded we have collected the papers of various key political figures and those influencing the public debate:

• The Hetherington archive contains transcripts of interviews with key political figures from 1958–1975.

• Alan Sked, LSE professor and founder of the Anti-Federalist League, forerunner to the UK Independence Party (UKIP).

• Frances Josephy and Juliet Rhys-Williams collected widely on issues to do with Britain’s relationship with Europe, due to their membership of various organisations such as the European League for Economic Co-operation.   

How to search 

This is just a snapshot of the material we hold that covers this subject. You can find these items and many more by using the following search tools: 

• Archives catalogue with keywords such as 'referendum', 'EEC' or 'Common Market'.

• Library Search for official EU and other printed materials. 

• Digital Library for a range of digitised material such as, Britain and Europe and The Referendum Reconsidered.

How to access

Most of the material highlighted here is part of our special collections, which are open to all but must be consulted in our reading room. Find out how to book your place and order material on our reading room access page. 

Further help

LSE students and staff looking for other resources such as journal articles and current research may wish to consult the department subject guide for the European Institute.

If you need specific help with any of the collections mentioned here get in touch with our Curator for Politics and International Relations, Daniel Payne.