The Connection Between British Exceptionalism and Brexit
Public Deposited- Creator
-
Macejka, John
- Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Political Science
- Abstract
- This paper aims to ascertain the direct role of historical British exceptionalism in enabling and galvanizing Brexit. In aiming to answer the question - why did Brexit occur? - it becomes vital to undertake a historical perspective to grasp insight into the mentality underlying the distinctly British claim that Britain is better off without the EU. The answer is unique to the accustomed historical excellence of Great Britain throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries. Britain’s isolated geography reveals the roots of its early exceptionalism and its inherent connection with isolation. Meanwhile, a pair of World War victories and the antagonistic actions of modern contemporaries during each once more affirmed British exceptionalism. Finally, this paper considers the formation of Britain’s placement in Europe’s new world order in the post-war period, reflecting upon each in coalition with modern British perspectives to offer a unique historical explanation for the occurrence of Brexit.
- Date of publication
- 2021
- Keyword
- DOI
- Resource type
- Article
- Rights statement
- In Copyright
- Journal title
- North Carolina Journal of European Studies
- Journal volume
- 2
- Journal issue
- 1
- Page start
- 54
- Page end
- 65
- Language
- English
Relations
- Parents:
- In Collection:
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