A SAÍDA DO REINO UNIDO DA UNIÃO EUROPEIA: FATORES HISTÓRICOS, ASPECTOS SOCIAIS E DESDOBRAMENTOS POLÍTICOS

Abstract

The paper aims to describe the historical, social and political circumstances that were intrinsically related to the outcome of the plebiscite held on 23 June 2016, when the United Kingdom chose to leave the European Union, a situation that has come to be called Brexit. In the methodology of the article, a bibliographic and exploratory approach was used, in which scientific articles, dissertations and theses made by authors who, on past occasions, analyzed the United Kingdom as a Member State of the European Union, as well as the existing relationships were analyzed between the country and the European bloc. The analysis was based on the unfolded scenarios after the Subprime Crisis and the European Sovereign Debt Crisis, and that acted as driving agents for nationalist movements - stimulated, mainly, by a part of the population and a radical political wing - that called for abandonment of the EU, and consequently, encouraged xenophobia against immigrants and refugees residing in the United Kingdom. The results contribute to the idea that the Brexit constituted something much bigger than mere political expectations, establishing, in its turn, a significant link with that part of society that rejected the idea of ​​a United Kingdom as a part of the European Union.

Keywords: United Kingdom; European Union; Plebiscite; Brexit.