Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right? A Historical Comparison of the 1975 and 2016 British Referendums

Abstract

The article offers a detailed comparison of the 1975 and 2016 British referendums in light of the larger debates surrounding Britain’s relationship with European inte‐ gration. Rather than depicting ‘Brexit’ as the likely, or even inevitable, outcome of British European policy since 1945, it situates both referendums in their respective historical contexts, showing how each one was highly contingent and should be un‐ derstood against the particular background of its time. Yet the article also identifies some broader structural similarities and longer-term continuities, such as the paramount importance of domestic politics, and the lack of a clearly articulated ra‐ tionale for EC/EU membership in the British political discourse. In the end, both referendums were decided by dynamics that stretched far beyond the question of EC/EU membership, highlighting both the general rise of Euroscepticism since the 1990s and some distinct British particularities.