Europe in the 20th Century

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How Europe changed

• http//www.ena.lu/

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European Integration

• What is integration?
• Economic
• Political
• What is the European Community/Union?
• A federation in the making
• A type of macro-regional regime or better
  international governance

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Factors in European Integration

• Solving French-German problem
• Different domestic calculations both economic and
  political
• Role of crisis

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History of the European Community/Union

• No linear, teleological, unfolding
• Deep historical roots, but concrete results only
  after 1945
• Ideological, political, and economic factors have
  all played a role
• International influences (role of US and USSR)
• Continuous process but with phases of stagnation
  and acceleration

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History

• Ideological
• From the Resistance movement to the Hague
  Conference
• Economic
• 1944-48 Benelux Custom Union through OEEC, to
  economic union
• Political
• From Common Assembly to European Parliament

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Enlargement

• 1951 France, Germany, Italy, Belgium,
  Netherlands, Luxembourg
• 1973 UK, Denmark, Ireland (case of Norway)
• 1981 Greece
• 1986 Spain and Portugal
• 1995 Austria, Finland, Sweden (case of Norway)
• 2005 Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Czech Republic,
  Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Malta, Cyprus,
  Slovenia
• 2007 Bulgaria, Romania
• Waiting Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Albania,
  Montenegro
• Problems of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo
• Turkey

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The collapse of the Soviet Union

• From below 1974 Helsinki conference
• Regime loss of legitimacy due to poor economic
  performance (low productivity)
• From outside Reagan and the new Cold War
• Defense spending outpacing economic growth
• From above Gorbachev (1985)
• Perestroika and glasnost
• Constitutional reform power from Communist
  party to national governments - collapse of the
  system

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The collapse of the Soviet Union

• June 1991 Attempts to retain at least a
  confederation
• August 1991 The failed coup and Gorbachev
  resignation on Dec. 25 1991
• Re-emergence of Russia (?)

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Eastern Europe

• Economic reforms and political reforms
• Nationalist coalitions which eventually splinter
• Peaceful vs. less peaceful (Romania) transitions.
  
• How to explain them?
• The reunification of Germany

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The disintegration of Yugoslavia

• Decentralization
• Nationalist revival
• The Arlecchino country
• 1991 Slovenia and Croatia
• 1992-95 The quagmire of Bosnia-Herzegovia
• 1998-99 Kosovo, the war against Yugoslavia
  (Serbia-Montenegro) and Independence
• 2000-2001 Macedonia

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Europe in the world

• Beginning of the century and up to WWII
  colonies, power politics
• Post-World War II soft power, liberal
  internationalism (constructive dialogue, slow
  elaboration of common values and legal principles
  and norms)
• Exception (colonial disentanglement, Suez,
  Falklands)
• An economic giant and a political pygmy?

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Europe as a laboratory

• The evolution of the concept and practice of
  sovereignty and nation/state
• Europe as a post-modern space?
• What will Europe be at the end of the first
  century of the third millennium?

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Emerging cleavages

• Immigration, multiculturalism Euro-skepticism

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Final Exam

• Saturday, April 12th
• 300-500 p.m.
• ED1014

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Parties and Policy in the 1980s 1990s

• Mainstream right
• Bolstered by Thatcher in the UK,
• Realization, for some, that state cannot should
  not do everything
• Manifest in
• Privatization of nationalized industries in the
  UK elsewhere
• Trimming of social protection, welfare state
  programs

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Social Democracy Toward a Third Way?

• Britain New Labour rather than Labour
• Tony Blair re-brands the party, brings it back to
  power
• Differences
• More market and less state e.g. public-private
  partnerships
• Accepts Thatcher reforms in many areas
• Maintain welfare state, but willing to target aid
• vs. previous commitment to universal benefits
• Tougher administration of justice
• Emphasis on spin and presentation
• Germany,
• SPD under Gerhard Schroeder follows similar
  course
• Netherlands
• Social Democrats abandon polarization
• Return to cabinet,
• First with Christian Democrats
• Then with Liberals and Democrats 66 Purple
  coalition, in office from 1994-2002, reconciles
  historic rivals

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Elsewhere on the left

• Diminishing appeal of Communism in France
• Weakening of Communism in Italy
• PCI re-baptized Democratic Left in 1991
• Green and left-libertarian parties
• Greens (Germany) start out as anti-establishment
  party with roots in student movements, Young
  Socialists (JUSOs)
• Ongoing arguments between realos and fundos
• Entry in to laender (provincial governments in
  1990s
• Coalition with SPD from 1998-2005
• PDS in Germany

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State and economy

• Despite Thatcherism, social protections retained,
  sometimes in moderate form
• Less public ownership
• But, at best incomplete withdrawal of states from
  economic life
• Germany maintains social market economy
  Rhineland model of capitalism cooperation
  among economic interests
• Swedish model persists, albeit with less
  cooperation between capital and labour

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The New Right

• Emergence success in several countries
• Front Nationale (FN) in France
• Lega Nord (LN) in Italy
• Freedom Party (FPÖ) in Austria
• Danish Peoples Party
• Flemish Block (Belgium)
• List Pim Fortuyn (LPF) Freedom Party (PVV) in
  the Netherlands
• Comparative weakness in Germany
• NPD
• Republikkaner

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New Right Parties

• Populist
• Leader-centred
• Common features Anti parties
• anti-EU
• anti-immigrant
• anti-establishment
• Positions not always internally consistent
• Tend to be anti-state, pro market
• But sometimes protectionist

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Explaining the New Right

• Weakening hold of established parties
• Difficulties maintaining or re-establishing
  electorates of belonging loyal supporters
• Ability of capitalize on disgruntlement, sense
  that things are not quite right
• Use of local issues e.g. Lega anti-southern
  sentiment
• Use of the media

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Euro-skepticism

• Stronger in some countries than others
• UK
• Denmark
• EU Europe as an elite project, about which
  voters were not consulted
• Enlargement
• EURO
• Constitution
• Dutch and French referenda as example
• Desire to ensure local (member-state) control

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Anti-immigrant sentiment

• Immigration migration largely unplanned or not
  fully thought through
• Growing concentrations, especially in larger
  centres
• Incomplete integration and assimilation
• Marginal economic position insufficient
  employment or opportunities
• Differences in values caught between two worlds
• Incomplete acceptance by host populations

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Anti-establishment sentiment

• Elites seen as
• Out of touch
• In collusion parties the same
• Not coping with real problems
• Examples
• Austria reaction against proporz
  power-sharing
• Netherlands
• Saga of Pim Fortuyn
• Geert Wilders and the Freedom Party

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Bottom-line

• Party systems more fragmented than before
• New competitors on the left
• former E. German Communists, now the Left Party
• A new Socialist Party (SP) in the Netherlands
• New right
• Party strengths fluctuate
• Sometimes hurt by government participation
• Yet no return to the instability of the interwar
  period