On 23rd June 2016 the United Kingdom shocked the world by voting to leave the European Union. The results of the EU referendum showed 52% in favour of leaving against 48% who voted to remain. This short book examines why this happened, examining the historical, economic, political, social and cultural reasons that led to the Brexit vote. Putting Brexit in the context of the growth of globalization, neo-liberal capitalism, changes in migration trends and the emergence of populist politics, this book goes beyond the narrow and shallow accounts offered by the media and media-inspired books to provide a rigorous and critical analysis of the most dramatic event to confront contemporary British society since the 2nd World War.