Imperial Nostalgia surrounding the Brexit. How and why did it manifest itself in the Debates?

Essay from the year 2023 in the subject History of Europe - Newer History, European Unification, grade: 1,7, University of Exeter (History Department), course: Empire and Globalisation, language: English, abstract: The main aim of this study is to show linkages of imperial ideologies in society in the context of Brexit and to list examples of the use of imperial nostalgia in the debate. In the following, the paper first looks at an attempted definition of imperial nostalgia and tries to establish connections to Brexit. Second, the paper looks at the nostalgic heirs of the empire and their origins and briefly discusses the UK's 'world power complex'. Third, it takes a closer look at how society deals with the imperial past. Lastly, the text looks at rhetoric and visual symbols of imperial nostalgia in the referendum debate.