Britain's Status as a Trading Nation Ties It to Europe By Mark Fleming-Williams

Britain's Status as a Trading Nation Ties It to Europe

By Mark Fleming-Williams

At some point in the next two years, British voters will decide whether to remain a part of the European Union. This will be the first time Britons have been consulted on the subject since 1975, when 67 percent voted to stay in. If it does decide to leave, the United Kingdom will become the first country to leave the European Union since it was created in 1957. The repercussions would be felt not just in the United Kingdom but also across the Continent and indeed across the world. To predict the eventual result of this vote, it is first important to understand the factors that have kept the United Kingdom in the union this long.

The story starts with geography. Britain is a relatively small island situated off a large but historically divided continent. It is narrow, with navigable rivers, and it is blessed with natural resources and fertile land. This combination of factors has various implications for the country's development. Its island status and narrow dimensions mean that the coast is always nearby, making a large proportion of the population maritime; add an ample supply of wood, and conditions are ripe for the construction of a strong navy. The fertile soil allows for a stable population, while resources such as coal, metals and sheep (for wool), along with navigable rivers, facilitate strong international trade. From the United Kingdom's perspective, the divisions in the Continent both reduced its threats — limiting Continental powers' ability to build a navy strong enough to invade — and increased its opportunities, as British traders found ways to insert themselves between countries that were often at war. Thus, once the island's basic needs of safety and nourishment were satisfied, Britain's geography enabled it to become a maritime trading power.

Changing British Fortunes

The 19th-century historian John Seeley described Britain as having acquired its empire in a "fit of absence of mind." Britain's merchants led it to conquer the world. The wool trade flourished for a time, but the arrival of cotton superseded it, and it became important for Britain's textiles industry to have sources of the material in warmer climates. This drove it to ...

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