European Union and the End of PoliticsEurope is in crisis, but the European Union just gets stronger. Greece, Portugal, Spain and Ireland have all been told that they must submit their budgets to EU-appointed bureaucrats. The "soft coup" that put EU officials in charge of Greece and Italy shows that the Union is opposed to democracy. Instead of weakening the European Union, the budget crisis of 2012 has ended up with the eurocrats grabbing new powers to dictate terms. Over the years the forward march of the European Union has been widely misunderstood. James Heartfield explains that the rise of the EU is driven by the decline in political participation. Without political contestation national parliaments have become an empty shell. Where once elites drew authority from their own people, today they draw authority from the European Union, and other summits of world leaders. The growth of the European Union runs in tandem with the decline in national politics. As national sovereignty is hollowed out, technocratic administration from Brussels fills the void. This account of the rise of the European Union includes a full survey of the major schools of thought in European studies, and a valuable guide to those who want to take back control. |
Contents
| 1896 | |
| 1912 | |
Demobilising the European State | 1928 |
The decline of Nationalism and the Rise | 1956 |
The Domestic Allies of European Union | 1966 |
The Developing Institutions of the European | |
European Identity | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Andrew Moravcsik argues argument authority Britain British Committee Bull Central Bank challenge Choice for Europe Christiansen consensus Construction of Europe constructivist cooperation cosmopolitan countries Cowles crisis critical David Mitrany decline Delors democracy democratic depoliticisation Derrida Deutsch elected electorates elites Europe Europe’s European Commission European Community European Constitution European Council European Economic Community European identity European integration European Union Foreign France French functional German Giddens global globalisation Green Haas Hoffmann institutions international relations Italian Communists Italy Jacques Jacques Derrida Joschka Fischer Jürgen Habermas Labour London Maastricht Treaty membership Middlemas Milward Mitrany Mitrany's Mitterrand monetary movement nation-state national governments national interest national sovereignty organisations politicians popular Prime Minister question realist role Ruggie says Scottish National Party Social Construction Socialist society sovereign Thatcher Theory of International trade union Treaty Ulrich Beck Uniting of Europe University Press Wendt west European Wight Zielonka