The origin of European integration 1300-ORIG_INT-KPP

The European integration is a process. As a process it has several features typical for this category of phenomena. Moreover, nowadays it is a very complex and tired (multilayer) process. It produces effects in various scopes and shapes numerous segments of social life in Europe. Thus it is fully justified to name it a cultural process.

Ostensibly each process has its beginning, progress and final. Actually in case of cultural process such simple (and simplifying) interpretation is improper. The final stage (form and merit) of the European integration can not be foreseen. We may tray, at the utmost, to predict its development in the closest future. But it will be, at best, a rough estimation, noting more.

Progress of the European integration can be traced. It spans from the beginning to present day. It represents a continuity and its events (e.g. signing of a treaty) must be interpreted as observable manifestations of long lasting and ongoing process. Thereby European integration should not be perceived and analyzed as a sum of independent and isolated events. In contrary: there are overlaps, interconnections, interplays and feedback between them. In figurative speech: all the events are rooted in the same soil. Due to more than 60 decades of development and its very complex character, history of the European integration may pretend be perceived as an independent and interdisciplinary branch of social sciences.

And, last but not least, European integration has its beginning. One may call it a point on the time-line when everything begun. Yet, a certain date may be recognized nothing more but a token of the beginning. While in fact, taking into account what was stated above, an officially presented paper or a formally taken decision are a superfluous implications of premisses and circumstances which were the real and genuine sources of the process. The latter are hidden and quite hard to be found and explained. Nonetheless, the “gist” (i.e. the essence) of the European integration can not be reconstructed and understood unless its origin is fully elucidated.

The lecture serves to present and explain origins of the European integration. It is focused on conceptual, legal and political matters.

List of presented issues:

- introduction and basic notions: Europe, integration, the European integration process and its features, the concept of European Integration, the European ideology (2 h);

- the idea of European unity through centuries (1 h)

- situation after the World War 2: the continent and its states; Europe, the Cold War and the bipolar world (1 h);

- the post-war "German problem "and proposals for its solution (1 h);

- the post-war European consciousness; visions of unity presented by non-governmental pro-European organizations (1 h);

- "preparatory period": 1945-1949 (1 h)

- values and solidarity; Robert Schuman’s concept (1 h);

- economic problems; foundations of an economic integration theory (2 h);

- Jean Monnet’s concept (1 h);
- the first organization: European Community of Coal and Steel (2 h);

- ambitious plans: European Defense Community and European Political Community (1 h);

- la relance européenne; Paul-Henri Spaak’s concept (1 h);
- the second step: the Rome Treaties (2 h);

- Walter Hallstein's concept (1 h);
- plan for political cooperation; visions by Charles de Gaulle (1 h);

- conclusions: a crucial role of individuals and national governments, crises and the European integration, “the community Europe” as a Cold War product, the nation-state and integration (1 h).