Last week, the vote was called by nearly every British News Network: Great Britain would leave the European Union, an unprecedented development that will only increase the turbulence the economic union has been experiencing.

Britain joined the predecessor to the European Union, the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973, under the leadership of then Prime Minister Edward Heath. Two years after that, the new Prime Minister Harold Wilson decided to let the country decide whether to stay or leave that community by referendum, and about 66 percent of the country wanted to stay in. So, Britain stayed in the community, which in 1993 became the European Union. In 2002, The European Union adopted the Euro, a groundbreaking new currency designed to consolidate the trading power of the continent and allow it to compete with the Dollar. Great Britain opted out of the Euro, remaining the only country in the EU to keep its own currency, the Pound.

Staying off the Euro kept the British economy relatively insulated (compared to its next door neighbors) from the turmoil in Greece, which threatened to drag down the Euro and with it the European Union. However, the British began to see the negative repercussions of being tied to the rest of the continent, and many didn't feel that the benefits were worth the drawbacks of being a member. Many in the country felt that going it alone would give Britain a better handle to control its own economy, trade and regulations—as of late, the EU had passed many trade regulations with mixed reaction from member states.

The people have spoken. David Cameron, the controversial Prime Minister, was a huge proponent of staying in the EU, and promised that he would resign should the country vote to leave. So, like in 1975, he opened a referendum vote, and anybody in the UK was able to vote to decide whether their country would stay, or go. Cameron knew that the vote would be close, but was faithful that things would come out in his favor, and "Brexit" would never happen. But this morning, the votes were all in and tallied, and by 52 percent, the people of Great Britain decided that their country would go it alone.

What does this mean? Well, Britain isn't automatically out of the EU. There are plenty of messy negotiations to undergo, since for decades the country's economy operated as one with the rest of Europe. Picture if in the United States, Florida decided to leave the union, how messy that would be. Suddenly, all of the federal programs, businesses operating there, goods and services flowing between, and residents who live in Georgia and work in Florida would have lots of issues to contend with. Picture all of the federal laws and regulations that suddenly wouldn't apply. While it's different over here (the states are tied politically as well as economically) it's the same principle. That takes lots of time, energy and frustration.

David Cameron remained true to his word. In a recent press conference, he announced his intentions to stabilize the "ship of state" and then step down sometime in October.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson, the eccentric former mayor of London, praised Brexit, hoping to help Britain usher in a new era of economic independence.

Upon announcement of the referendum, the British pound lost value, and automatically was the weakest it has been up against the US Dollar since 1985. Lloyds Bank and Barclays reported drops as deep as 30 percent, with the financial and home building sectors bearing the brunt of the hit.

There may be more difficulties ahead for both the UK and the EU. Britain was one of the members that payed more into the system than it got out (a reason many wanted to leave), with most of the money invested in developing members like Poland and Greece. Britain was the third largest contributor to the union, which will mark a huge loss for the rest of the continent.

The United Kingdom is actually made up by four smaller countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. During the referendum, Northern Ireland, Scotland and London all voted to stay in the EU, with the rest of the UK favoring leaving. Scotland had recently decided via a separate referendum to stay in the UK, back when it was part of the EU—but, now that Britain is leaving, Scotland may very well leave, which could start a trend that may very well break up the United Kingdom. Now the movement for Northern Ireland to rejoin the rest of Ireland is gaining steam, which could spell economic doom for the region (or at least for England).

And this movement begun by the smaller states to break away from the United Kingdom isn't just contained to the Isles. Key leaders in France, Italy, Holland and Denmark today called for their own referendums to leave the EU. It is unlikely that referendums would pass in these countries, as they are located on the continent and far more invested in what could come to pass in the union. But after Brexit today, nothing is impossible. Quite frankly, this could signal a complete breakup of the European Union, which could not only cause catastrophic economic failure, but prevent the development of a unified security front in Europe.

The world needs to tread lightly in these trying times. 2016 is giving us a better plot than "House of Cards" could ever write. Plus, it's only June.

Sources:

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/british-polit...

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32810887

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-36611512

David Cameron's resignation speech (strongly recommend watching):