Wilfried Loth Book order

Relying on internal sources, Wilfried Loth analyses the birth and subsequent development of the European Union, from the launch of the Council of Europe and the Schuman Declaration until the Euro crisis and the contested European presidential election of Jean-Claude Juncker. This book shines a light on the crises of the European integration, such as the failure of the European Defence Community, De Gaulle’s empty chair policy, or the rejection of the European Constitution in France and the Netherlands, but also highlights the indubitable successes that are the Franco-German reconciliation, the establishment of the European common market, and the establishment of an expanding common currency. What this study accomplishes, for the first time, is to illuminate the driving forces behind the European integration process and how it changed European politics and society.“An enlightening work. A required reading for all who doubt the unfinished history of Europe.” – Rolf Steininger, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.“This book will become an indispensable standard work.” – Jörg Himmelreich, Neue Zürcher Zeitung.

In this volume, based on a colloquium at the Faculty of European Studies, Babes-Bolyai University, in Cluj-Napoca, the integration of former member states of the Soviet bloc into the European Union is discussed in its broad historical context. 30 scholars are providing a comprehensive insight into the state of integration of East-Central European countries.

In order to evaluate the perspectives of deepening and widening of the EU it is necessary to review what happened in the several fields of European integration so far. How did the EC/EU change from its beginnings, and in which respect is the present situation different from the past? Which trends of evolution can be observed, and which factors may influence the future evolution? In this volume, 19 historians from seven countries, all of them well known experts of the field, are balancing the different aspects of the European experience. Based on broad archival research, the volume offers a comprehensive look on the history of European integration and a discussion of the present situation and possible developments in the light of this balance. All chapters were discussed in international teams and written by co-authors from different member states. Thus, they will represent not only the current state of knowledge, but for the first time also a coherent European perspective on the history of European integration. Experiencing Europe is seen as a response to the challenges Europeans have to meet in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Wie kann man den Prozess der europäischen Integration erklären und was folgt daraus für seine weitere Entwicklung? Namhafte Vertreter der Geschichtswissenschaft, der Wirtschaftswissenschaft, der Politikwissenschaft, der Rechtswissenschaft und der Soziologie erläutern, welche Beiträge ihre Disziplinen zur Erklärung des europäischen Integrationsprozesses entwickelt haben und diskutieren die Möglichkeiten ihrer Verknüpfung zu einer interdisziplinären Integrationstheorie. Die Antriebskräfte der europäischen Integration kommen dabei ebenso in den Blick wie die Entwicklungsdynamik der europäischen Institutionen, der Wandel von Staatlichkeit in Europa und das Demokratieproblem in der Europäischen Union. Konzepte und Ergebnisse der Disziplinen werden zu einer gemeinsamen Integrationswissenschaft verbunden.

The book delves into the historical complexities surrounding Germany's division during the Cold War, revealing that Stalin did not initially aim for a separate socialist state. Instead, he envisioned a joint administration of Germany by the victorious powers, reminiscent of the Weimar Republic. The establishment of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) emerged largely from Walter Ulbricht's fervent revolutionary ambitions, which thrived amid Western policies that isolated the East. Wilfried Loth's research offers a compelling reevaluation of these pivotal events.

This book explores the contrasting visions of Europe from National Socialist and Fascist ideologies to the plans proposed by various European resistance movements during and after WWII. It includes insights from countries like Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland, as well as perspectives from neutral nations like Sweden and Switzerland.