«THE EUROPEAN QUESTION»: FROM M. THATCHER TO J. MAJOR
( Pp. 40-46)

In the 1990s, the European Communities entered a new phase of development. The UK took an active part in the integration changes. Under Prime Minister J. Major (1990-1997) The United Kingdom signed the Maastricht Treaty and became a full member of the European Union, which had emerged on the basis of the former supranational structures. The attitude of British society and political circles to the «European question» was ambiguous despite Britain’s membership of the EU. The country divided into supporters and opponents (otherwise known as «Euro-optimists» and «Euro-sceptics» respectively) of the UK's participation in the integration. M. Thatcher, the predecessor of J. Major as head of the British government, had a preference for the United States in terms of international partnership and expressed doubts about the issue of rapprochement between the UK and the EU. However, J. Major’s foreign policy activity was directed towards the European Union. The idea of the article is to test the hypothesis that J. Major was neither a Euroskeptic nor a Eurooptimist, but he balanced between them, trying to integrate the United Kingdom into the union on British terms. In the present article the debates of the House of Commons of Great Britain, J. Major’s speeches and interviews, M. Thatcher’s memoirs and other materials are used. It has been concluded that, J. Major took a position between Eurosceptics and Eurooptimists regarding British participation in the European Union. The politician was forced to act in order to preserve the integrity of the Conservative Party, since the «European question» was the cause of the internal party split, and at the same time maintain the country's influence in regional politics. In the early 1990s, the solution to this problem was the UK's entry into the EU with respect for British interests as well as on British terms.

Menshchikova Y.V., (2021), «THE EUROPEAN QUESTION»: FROM M. THATCHER TO J. MAJOR. History and Modern Perspectives, 2 => 40-46.

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John Major, Margaret Thatcher, eurosceptics, EU-scepticism, The European Union.