Brexit, and the Dividing of a United Kingdom

History Talk, the history podcast from Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective

On June 23rd, 2016, 52% of voters in the United Kingdom stunned the British political and media establishment—and the entire world—by voting to leave the European Union. Nearly three years, later, however, the final outcome of Brexit remains uncertain. And issues that affect the lives of millions hang in the balance, from the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and Britons living in the EU, to the status of the land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. In this month’s History Talk, we speak with Professors Laura Beers and Ian Sheldon to better understand the roots and consequences of Brexit. How has the relationship between Britain and the European continent changed? What were the political and economic forces that compelled the UK to join the EU in the first place? What made so many Britons eager to leave? And what comes next? We'll explore these questions, and more, during our conversation about this fast-changing situation. An in-text version of this episode can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/index.php/historytalk/brexit-british-politics-history