THE EVOLUTION OF THE EUROPEAN POLICY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM IN THE 50S AND EARLY 60S OF THE 20TH CENTURY

The purpose of the article is to study the approaches used by the government of the United Kingdom in pursuing its European policy in the 50s – early 60s of the twentieth century and to determine the positions on this issue in the Conservative and Labour parties. In addition, to analyse the policy of the British government regarding the country’s joining the EEC. The research methodology is based on the principle of historicism. The author uses analytical, chronological, and historical-comparative methods. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that this research, to a certain extent, fills a gap in the academic literature and is an attempt to analyse the evolution of approaches to London’s European policy in the 50s – early 60s of the twentieth century, to systematise the main approaches of the British government to European integration, based on archival documents, the press, and little-studied historiographical research. Conclusions. In the 50s – early 60s of the twentieth century, the United Kingdom was in the process of finding its new role in Europe, experiencing a change in status from an empire to a country that was gradually becoming an ordinary European state, whose main goal was to create favourable international conditions for security and domestic prosperity. At this time, Britain was significantly changing its European policy, and this suggests that London, to a certain extent, is moving away from political traditions and making more realistic steps. During these years, the British made their first attempt to join the Common Market. There is no doubt that the course of joining the EEC was a new form of foreign policy for the country, which would ensure the promotion of British interests. However, this policy of the Conservative cabinet was aimed at changing tactics, not strategy. This was one of the reasons why the Foreign Office and Macmillan personally made a series of mistakes that prevented London from entering the “Common Market” on its first attempt. A decisive factor in the failure of Britain’s joining the EEC was that the country imposed some special conditions on the UK’s membership, which led to difficult and protracted negotiations. In addition, the cautious and compromising approach of the Conservative cabinet in the middle of the country allowed anti-British forces in the EEC to prevent the British from joining the Common Market in 1963. The research shows that the formation of the United Kingdom’s European policy was influenced by both internal factors, such as intra- and inter-party struggles, and an external factor caused by the fact that France and Germany did not show the political will to allow Britain to join the Common Market.