Abstract
The Second World War gave impetus to the idea of European unity. A view developed that only by the creation of some form of European federation would Europe enjoys a permanent peace. After WW2, European states focussed on national reconstruction, whereas Britain had a globalist perspective. This difference of interests produced a discrepancy between Great Britain and the other countries in the idea of integration in an institutionalized Europe. Winston Churchill characterized British international interest in terms of three interconnected circles: Empire and Commonwealth, Europe, and the United States. The US generally came first, Europe always last. The awkward partner thesis is a widespread theoretical framework which explains why Britain has been called a semi-detached member of the European Union. The argument advanced here is that the awkward partner thesis presupposes a negative behaviour by UK governments in relation to their European counterparts. How accurate is this thesis?
