Europe as a Regional Organization and After WWII, Europe went through a cultural and political series of crises. Its' very identity was in question. N

Assignment Task

Identity

Europe as a Regional Organization and After WWII, Europe went through a cultural and political series of crises. Its’ very identity was in question. Not only was its socioeconomic landscape destroyed by conflict, but it was dominated by ‘non- European’ powers (although both the USA and USSR had their historical and cultural links with Europe, I mean from the perception of Europeans). In the midst of this collapse from global power, Europe began the process of the re-evaluation of its path.

This began with Western Europe which, although under American administration for defense purposes organized through.

There was also a commonality between their post-WWII situations. France and West Germany were equally economically destroyed. Also, both their respective societies were in danger of political upheaval as the threat of socio-cultural revolution existed due to poverty. French and West German governments rationalized that the best way to maintain peace between themselves while preventing further political and socioeconomic collapse, was to engage in mutual cooperation towards recovery.

This was a remarkable idea, given that France and Germany had fought three wars within 100 years (Franco-Prussian 1870, WWI 1914-1918, WWII 1939- 1945). It was also remarkable because in the history of Europe, the Great Powers had generally engaged in political rivalry which prohibited their cooperation. The irony was that having destroyed the League of Nations through their own actions, Western European politicians now began a political revolution towards that very ideal of international collective security and cooperation. It was upon the basis of this Franco-German
rapprochement, that the foundation of the European Union (EU) was built.

For the reconceptualization of Europe as a ‘common home’ with a ‘common culture’ and ‘coordinated vision’, Franco-German relations needed to be repaired. Without that, there could be no possibility of either peace or success for the project of a European Community (LC).

for defense purposes organized through NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization, 1949), was politically sovereign. The process of democratic elections and administration allowed Western Europeans the ability to reformulate their political destiny.

There was much popular anger against the politics of the past. Western Europeans, including some of their more astute politicians, began to harshly criticize the Balance of Power international system and Great Power machinations of the 19th and early 20th century. This was blamed for causing the collapse of European fortunes. Post-WWII trends in art, literature, music and theatre in Western Europe all highlight the popular anger and rebellion against the previous generation’s political and cultural outlook as having been chauvinist, xenophobic, and corrupt.

Along with the popular assessment of their plight, Western European politicians in France and West Germany in particular, began to think of how to prevent ‘a third’ (as in World War) catastrophe. After the First World War, French politicians had ostracized Germany and attempted to isolate Germany politically while building up a defensive system (the Maginot.

collapse of the Eastern Communist Bloc and the USSR itself, the possibility to re- integrate ‘the other half of Europe’ to Western Europe became possible. However, many Western European politicians questioned whether there really existed a shared history and common culture between themselves and their Eastern European counter-parts. As we will discuss, a gradual process of normalization would be required prior to the acceptance of nations within the EU.
It would however, be only at the end of the 20th century that a single currency (Euro) would be accepted. One of the reasons for this hesitation was because of increasing fear among individual European governments and their populations that the moves toward European Union threated sovereignty of nation and autonomy of action (domestic and foreign policy). The relinquishing of individual currencies translated into a debate over the future of the nation-state (a core European value), as a single currency necessitated a single fiscal policy for Europe.

Thus, this unit which examines European Union, represents a case study within our course for the re-imagination of the idea of the nation(-state). It equally illustrates the global angst within regional organizations, towards their future and further progress in the direction of any ‘unity’ of objectives. These discussions always promote debates regarding the ‘freedom of action’, theorized as being constrained by.

1. Collaborative Extraction and Organization

Contribute to building:

• A study flow chart for the topics in this Unit,
• A list of terms and definitions encountered in your reading, or a set of notable dates/events.

2. Analysis and Information Mapping

Using the Unit Learning Outcomes:

• Help build a summary that demonstrates achievement of the
  outcomes,
• Discuss/debate various viewpoints/arguments related to the outcomes.

3. Extrapolating and Engaging Using a Creative Prompt

You are either a Konrad Adenauer or Mikhail Gorbachev. Write a short journal entry (“Dear Dairy today is…and..”) describing your role in the re-imagination of Europe, why this is a revolutionary idea, and what are for the new.