ABSTRACT
The Second World War and its aftermath greatly increased British involvement with continental Europe. The United Kingdom never sought to divorce itself entirely from European affairs; nevertheless, in the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century, there was a strong sense of separateness from the continent, and greater concern with its overseas possessions, particularly the old dominions where, except in South Africa, the people were still predominantly British in origin. A Conservative government was returned in 1951 under Winston Churchill, now 76 years old. Its main emphasis was on preventing Soviet expansion. The European Community was thus originally an organisation for free trade and economic co-operation, though it went considerably further than any earlier body. Policy was formulated by a European Commission, composed of Commissioners who would put aside national loyalties and work for the good of the organisation as a whole.
