Why was the accession of the UK to the EEC in 1972 so politically controversial?

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Why was the accession of the UK to the EEC in 1972 so politically controversial?

The issue of Britain's involvement in Europe has been the subject of much debate since its inauguration in the early '70's. The topic divides member states, political parties and defines many International Relations. This essay will present the main areas of contention and acrimony that EU membership brings, but to understand how these have come about, we must first look to what bought Britain into Europe in the first place.

In 1945, once the Second World War had come to an end, the task of re-building Europe politically and economically was at hand. In 1952 France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg formed the European Coal and Steel Community (ESEC). The UK was invited to be part of this European Market, but rejected the opportunity. The key contributing factor to this was Britain's delusion of grandeur. The feeling amongst the British public and politicians was that they were one of the "big three" superpowers alongside the Soviet Union and the USA, having won the war between them. The British of the mid 20th Century did not think of themselves as