European Societies
Lecture 1: The European project
Introduction
Different attacks that caused destruction
- Antwerp 1944: attack near Meir
- France 1945
- Italy: caused by fascism
- Berlin 1945
- Boy in striped pyjamas: allies found in concentration caps
Now
- Went from a continent in urines (harm, hurt, destruction, hatred) -> a lot of people try to enter the country
Entire families, young and old people on boats (not safe) who are risking their life
o without belongings, sense of the future to get into Europe
o Different ways to enter
o Lot of terrible stories about migrants
Possibility they are pushed back (not welcome)
o Pushbacks= people who want to enter the country are not allowed and send
back
From destruction -> today’s situation
Short history of project:
- Attempts to unify Europe
Roman empire
o Political and legal entity
o Civil law in many European countries based on principles that are established in the Roman law
o Roman currency (used in large parts of the Roman empire)
o Roads that stretched across all over Europe
Didn’t last due to overconfidence and false sense of invisibility *
Believed their power was unshakable witch led to corruption, complexity and failure to
address growing threats
Byzantine Empire
Frankish Empire
o Established French empire: Napoleon
o Long-lasting consequences
Civil law: part of our legal system
Centralized administration and governance models
Also didn’t last due to wars and strong resistance from other European powers
Holy Roman Empire
Ottoman Empire
the First French Empire
Nazi Germany…
- Many attempts to unify EU
- More peaceful consolidation of European territories provided by dynastic unions
- And country-level unions, such as the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth and Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Beginnings after WW2
- War left Europe in ruins and deeply divided
Eastern Europe fell under Soviet control (Communist bloc)
Western Europe remained largely democratic
Eastern bloc
Fear of another war and the need to integrate Germany into democratic institutions
- Led to the first steps of European cooperation
Destruction on a very large scale
At that moment a lot of hurt and anger -> not a great eagerness to forgive
Was awareness by some that a mistake was made and that they didn’t want to repeat history
, - Communist locked up by the fascists
- Wrote manifesto
Communism: workers of all nations cooperated and joined forces against the capitalism
Not surprising that a communist wrote that cooperation was needed, not only workers but whole Europe
Believed in supranational European entity, beyond just cooperation -> key to achieving lasting peace in
Europe -> this idea marked the beginning of the movement.
Beginnings after WW2
- Post-WWII Europe was left exhausted, with industry severely damaged.
- To aid recovery and ensure peace -> six neighboring countries signed the Treaty of Paris.
Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Italy, and Luxembourg
- This treaty established the ECSC on 23 July 1952
creating a free trade area for coal, steel, and iron ore
key resources for both industry and military power
- The ECSC was governed by supranational institutions, designed to legislate, develop policies, and resolve disputes
Need for people to help run this
o Council of Ministers
o Common Assembly
o Court of Justice
- These institutions later became the foundation of the European Union (EU).
- The ECSC officially ended on 23 July 2002, as it was replaced by further European unions, continuing the path of
integration.
Treaty of Rome
- Success ECSC led to member nations signing two new treaties in 1957 = called treaty of Rome
- Created two new bodies
European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom)
European Economic Community (=EEC)
- This EEC created common market among the member nations
No tariffs or impediments to the flow of labour and goods
- First cooperation with 6 countries
Good think instead of competing against each other -> from that developed new institutions
- Time of great optimism
Belief that technology could bring progress, started treading more things
EEC
- By 1970: trade within common market had increased
- Steal and coal where essential elements for reconstruction
- Was the need for people to help this run (supranational bodies)
Council of Ministers: to make decisions
Common Assembly: to give advice (later became the EU parlement)
Court of Justice: could overrule member states
Commission; put policy into effect
o discuss the joint problems, solutions, needs
o bodies that monitor/controls what is happening
Expansion
Maastricht treaty
- Treaty on European union
- 1/11/1993: came into force and changes the EEC into European Union
, - Involvement in the domestic affairs of member nations on “justice and home affairs” -> for that reason only narrowly
passed in France and forced a vote in the UK
- Single European currency created + conditions for membership
- Process of broadening and deepening
Broadening
o more countries joining
o expanding work supranational bodies based around the three pillars
Deepening
o Doing more stuff together
o Solely on economic field, not in social (political) sphere
We will have peace through economic prosperity that will deliver us peace and will bring
us together politically
Put into question: has that happened/EU is more divided than ever before
Further enlargements
- 1995: Sweden, Austria and Finland join
- Schengen agreement
Crossing boarders in EU without any certification, freely is revolutionary
Germany working on these controls again but in less extent then before
- 1997: Stability and growth pact
- 1999: Treaty of Amsterdam brings employment, working and living conditions into the EU remit
- 2000s
01/01/1999: introduction of the euro
2004: 10 nations joined
2007: 2 nations joined
By this time there had been agreements to apply majority voting to more issues, but national vetoes
remained on tax, security and other issues
Have been a lot of hick ups
Lisbon treaty
- 2002: convention on the Future of Europe to create and EU constitution
- 2004: draft signed in 2004 aimed to install a permanent EU president, Foreign Minister and a Charter of Rights.
- 2005: rejected when France and the Netherlands failed to ratify it (before other EU members got chance to vote)
- 2007: Lisbon Treaty was signed in 2007 but was initially rejected, by voters in Ireland.
- 2009: Irish voters passed the treaty.
Winter 2009 all 27 EU states had ratified the process, and it took effect.
Herman Van Rompuy became the first ‘President of the European Council’
What Life
has Expectancy
it brought (Figure
us 6.1)
- Both Eastern and Western Europe show a significant increase in life expectancy over time.
- Western Europe (right-side graph) has a higher and more consistent rise, while Eastern
Europe (left-side graph) exhibits a noticeable slowdown or stagnation around the mid-
20th century, likely due to political and economic instability.
- The gap between the two regions widened during certain periods but started narrowing in
more recent years.
GDP per Capita (Figure 6.1, bottom two graphs)
, Also, major challenges
- Persistent unemployment, including youth unemployment
- Distrust of “Europe”, reclaims of national sovereignty
- Migration pressures, from outside and inside
- Little progress on poverty and social fronts
- Ageing, lack of innovation & major players in new economy enterprises,..
- Continued financial vulnerability
- Geopolitical weakness in the face of other major power blocks
Moving on
- Fundamental and ultimately perhaps fatal design flaw in the current European Union
Lecture 2: the European project as an economic project: fundamental flaws
Overview
- EU emerged as peace though economic cooperation project
Back to previous lesson where we saw how that emerged from ruins after WW2
Emerged after WW2 and how it became successful in many ways (today)
- Benefits and downsides of economic cooperation
- The benefits and downsides of a single currency
- Is there a fundamental design error in the EU
These broad questions are important for exams
- The fundamental tensions illustrated by Greece
Guiding question
- Is there a fundamental design error in EU
We have free movement of people, goods, services, capital guarded by the European commission and
European court of justice
Euro countries gave common currency, common interest rates
Despite all that still very diverse countries
o diverse fiscal and social systems, labour market regulation and wage setting and immense variation
in economic and social circumstances
And no structural solidarity mechanisms to match
o This all happens within a country, there is little redistribution from 1 country to another
Although we have open market, work in different countries, travel
Lecture 1: The European project
Introduction
Different attacks that caused destruction
- Antwerp 1944: attack near Meir
- France 1945
- Italy: caused by fascism
- Berlin 1945
- Boy in striped pyjamas: allies found in concentration caps
Now
- Went from a continent in urines (harm, hurt, destruction, hatred) -> a lot of people try to enter the country
Entire families, young and old people on boats (not safe) who are risking their life
o without belongings, sense of the future to get into Europe
o Different ways to enter
o Lot of terrible stories about migrants
Possibility they are pushed back (not welcome)
o Pushbacks= people who want to enter the country are not allowed and send
back
From destruction -> today’s situation
Short history of project:
- Attempts to unify Europe
Roman empire
o Political and legal entity
o Civil law in many European countries based on principles that are established in the Roman law
o Roman currency (used in large parts of the Roman empire)
o Roads that stretched across all over Europe
Didn’t last due to overconfidence and false sense of invisibility *
Believed their power was unshakable witch led to corruption, complexity and failure to
address growing threats
Byzantine Empire
Frankish Empire
o Established French empire: Napoleon
o Long-lasting consequences
Civil law: part of our legal system
Centralized administration and governance models
Also didn’t last due to wars and strong resistance from other European powers
Holy Roman Empire
Ottoman Empire
the First French Empire
Nazi Germany…
- Many attempts to unify EU
- More peaceful consolidation of European territories provided by dynastic unions
- And country-level unions, such as the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth and Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Beginnings after WW2
- War left Europe in ruins and deeply divided
Eastern Europe fell under Soviet control (Communist bloc)
Western Europe remained largely democratic
Eastern bloc
Fear of another war and the need to integrate Germany into democratic institutions
- Led to the first steps of European cooperation
Destruction on a very large scale
At that moment a lot of hurt and anger -> not a great eagerness to forgive
Was awareness by some that a mistake was made and that they didn’t want to repeat history
, - Communist locked up by the fascists
- Wrote manifesto
Communism: workers of all nations cooperated and joined forces against the capitalism
Not surprising that a communist wrote that cooperation was needed, not only workers but whole Europe
Believed in supranational European entity, beyond just cooperation -> key to achieving lasting peace in
Europe -> this idea marked the beginning of the movement.
Beginnings after WW2
- Post-WWII Europe was left exhausted, with industry severely damaged.
- To aid recovery and ensure peace -> six neighboring countries signed the Treaty of Paris.
Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Italy, and Luxembourg
- This treaty established the ECSC on 23 July 1952
creating a free trade area for coal, steel, and iron ore
key resources for both industry and military power
- The ECSC was governed by supranational institutions, designed to legislate, develop policies, and resolve disputes
Need for people to help run this
o Council of Ministers
o Common Assembly
o Court of Justice
- These institutions later became the foundation of the European Union (EU).
- The ECSC officially ended on 23 July 2002, as it was replaced by further European unions, continuing the path of
integration.
Treaty of Rome
- Success ECSC led to member nations signing two new treaties in 1957 = called treaty of Rome
- Created two new bodies
European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom)
European Economic Community (=EEC)
- This EEC created common market among the member nations
No tariffs or impediments to the flow of labour and goods
- First cooperation with 6 countries
Good think instead of competing against each other -> from that developed new institutions
- Time of great optimism
Belief that technology could bring progress, started treading more things
EEC
- By 1970: trade within common market had increased
- Steal and coal where essential elements for reconstruction
- Was the need for people to help this run (supranational bodies)
Council of Ministers: to make decisions
Common Assembly: to give advice (later became the EU parlement)
Court of Justice: could overrule member states
Commission; put policy into effect
o discuss the joint problems, solutions, needs
o bodies that monitor/controls what is happening
Expansion
Maastricht treaty
- Treaty on European union
- 1/11/1993: came into force and changes the EEC into European Union
, - Involvement in the domestic affairs of member nations on “justice and home affairs” -> for that reason only narrowly
passed in France and forced a vote in the UK
- Single European currency created + conditions for membership
- Process of broadening and deepening
Broadening
o more countries joining
o expanding work supranational bodies based around the three pillars
Deepening
o Doing more stuff together
o Solely on economic field, not in social (political) sphere
We will have peace through economic prosperity that will deliver us peace and will bring
us together politically
Put into question: has that happened/EU is more divided than ever before
Further enlargements
- 1995: Sweden, Austria and Finland join
- Schengen agreement
Crossing boarders in EU without any certification, freely is revolutionary
Germany working on these controls again but in less extent then before
- 1997: Stability and growth pact
- 1999: Treaty of Amsterdam brings employment, working and living conditions into the EU remit
- 2000s
01/01/1999: introduction of the euro
2004: 10 nations joined
2007: 2 nations joined
By this time there had been agreements to apply majority voting to more issues, but national vetoes
remained on tax, security and other issues
Have been a lot of hick ups
Lisbon treaty
- 2002: convention on the Future of Europe to create and EU constitution
- 2004: draft signed in 2004 aimed to install a permanent EU president, Foreign Minister and a Charter of Rights.
- 2005: rejected when France and the Netherlands failed to ratify it (before other EU members got chance to vote)
- 2007: Lisbon Treaty was signed in 2007 but was initially rejected, by voters in Ireland.
- 2009: Irish voters passed the treaty.
Winter 2009 all 27 EU states had ratified the process, and it took effect.
Herman Van Rompuy became the first ‘President of the European Council’
What Life
has Expectancy
it brought (Figure
us 6.1)
- Both Eastern and Western Europe show a significant increase in life expectancy over time.
- Western Europe (right-side graph) has a higher and more consistent rise, while Eastern
Europe (left-side graph) exhibits a noticeable slowdown or stagnation around the mid-
20th century, likely due to political and economic instability.
- The gap between the two regions widened during certain periods but started narrowing in
more recent years.
GDP per Capita (Figure 6.1, bottom two graphs)
, Also, major challenges
- Persistent unemployment, including youth unemployment
- Distrust of “Europe”, reclaims of national sovereignty
- Migration pressures, from outside and inside
- Little progress on poverty and social fronts
- Ageing, lack of innovation & major players in new economy enterprises,..
- Continued financial vulnerability
- Geopolitical weakness in the face of other major power blocks
Moving on
- Fundamental and ultimately perhaps fatal design flaw in the current European Union
Lecture 2: the European project as an economic project: fundamental flaws
Overview
- EU emerged as peace though economic cooperation project
Back to previous lesson where we saw how that emerged from ruins after WW2
Emerged after WW2 and how it became successful in many ways (today)
- Benefits and downsides of economic cooperation
- The benefits and downsides of a single currency
- Is there a fundamental design error in the EU
These broad questions are important for exams
- The fundamental tensions illustrated by Greece
Guiding question
- Is there a fundamental design error in EU
We have free movement of people, goods, services, capital guarded by the European commission and
European court of justice
Euro countries gave common currency, common interest rates
Despite all that still very diverse countries
o diverse fiscal and social systems, labour market regulation and wage setting and immense variation
in economic and social circumstances
And no structural solidarity mechanisms to match
o This all happens within a country, there is little redistribution from 1 country to another
Although we have open market, work in different countries, travel
