Study Guides

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils learn about a theme in British history over a period of roughly 1000 years. They examine this theme, analysing the impact it had in Medieval, Early Modern, Industrial and Modern Britain, with a particular focus on change and continuity.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to recall that the UK joined the EEC in 1973 and that this led to an influx of Eastern and Central European immigration in the early 21st century.

Key Notes

• After WW2, the European Economic Community (EEC) was founded to forge peaceful connections in Europe.
• Britain joined the EEC (now EU) in 1973 to counter its waning influence after the end of Empire.
• In the 1980s, a European single market was created which allowed free movement of people within the EEC.
• Eastern European countries joined the EU after the USSR's collapse, many citizens of which moved to Britain.
• Opposition to migration from the EU contributed to the 2016 Brexit Referendum.

Vocabulary To Learn

• European Economic Community: a trading bloc created by European powers after WW2, also known as the EEC and later named the European Union (EU)
• Brexit: a term coined after the UK voted to leave the EU, referring to British exit from the European Union
• referendum: a vote held in which citizens vote directly on a closed question
• eurosceptic: someone who is generally against close ties with the European Union

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• The European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Union (EU) have always been the same entity with identical goals and functions.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• Angevin Empire Study Guide
• Cecil Rhodes and the Boer War Study Guide
• Experience of post-WW2 migrants in Britain Study Guide
• Factors causing westward migration Study Guide
• Huguenot migration Study Guide
• Impact of conquest and settlement on medieval Britain Study Guide
• Impact of empire on migration in and out of Britain Study Guide
• Irish migration to Britain in the 19th century Study Guide
• Jewish migration to Britain in the 19th and 20th centuries Study Guide
• Movement within the British Empire Study Guide
• Post war migration to Britain: Migration from East Africa Study Guide
• Post war migration to Britain: The Falklands Study Guide
• Post war migration to Britain: The Windrush generation Study Guide
• The arrival of the Vikings Study Guide
• The colonisation of North America Study Guide
• The Danish conquest Study Guide
• The end of the British Empire in the 20th century Study Guide
• The Hundred Years' War Study Guide
• The impact of British rule in India Study Guide
• The impact of imperial propaganda in the 19th century Study Guide
• The impact of the World Wars on migration to and from Britain Study Guide
• The Indian Rebellion Study Guide
• The Norman conquest (1066) Study Guide
• The origins of British rule in India Study Guide
• The scramble for Africa Study Guide
• The Transatlantic Slave Trade Study Guide
• The War of Independence Study Guide
• Ulster Plantations and Highland Clearances Study Guide
• What sources can tell us about the expansion of Empire Study Guide