Britain and Europe since 1945. Historiographical perspectives on integration

Abstract:

History tells a story. Whose story, we might well ask? That will depend upon the historian, the perspectives he/she brings to the task and those emerging as the task is completed. This work claims that the historiography of British European policy can be grouped into three schools - orthodox, revisionist and post-revisionist - and that these schools are 'socially constructed', having different motivators, holding different perspectives and pursuing opposing agendas.

The work is organised over four chapters preceded by a comprehensive introduction and followed by a valuable conclusion. Chapter one addresses 'method and argument', exploring the rationale for historiographical treatment of the literature, the classification of it, and the major divisions between the schools of writing. Chapter two addresses the orthodox school, which is broadly critical of the course Britain has taken in Europe and the world since 1945. The third chapter looks at the revisionist school and the role of academic historians in the re-interpretation of history and Britain's role in Europe. Chapter four examines the post-revisionist school and the challenge it poses to the neat, well-ordered perception of the orthodox school, proffering the idea that it may have been a more reactive response to events accompanied by disorganisation and incoherence. The concluding chapter considers the role of the historian and the pressures shaping his/her perceptions, then goes on to explore some of the most important themes arising from the work, offering some signposts as to the direction of future research in this area.

The book will interest scholars and students engaged in history, philosophy, European Studies and policy researchers and makers in British foreign policy.

Oliver J. Daddow is a lecturer in the Defence Studies Department, King's College London.

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