This book radically re-conceptualises the origins of the European Union as a trans- and supranational polity as it emerged between the Schuman Plan of May 1950 and the first enlargement of the European Communities at the start of 1973.

Drawing upon social science theories and debates as well as recent historical research, Wolfram Kaiser and Morten Rasmussen in their introductory chapters discuss innovative ways of narrating the history of the EU as the emergence of a transnational political society and supranational political system. Building on these insights, eight chapters based on multilateral and multi-archival research follow each with case studies of transnational networks, public sphere and institutional cultures and policy-making which illustrate systematically related aspects of the early history of the EU. In the concluding chapter, leading political scientist Alex Warleigh-Lack demonstrates how greater interdisciplinary cooperation, especially between contemporary history and political studies, can significantly advance our knowledge of the EU as a complex polity.

This book will be of interest to students and scholars of Politics, European Studies and History.

About the Author

Wolfram Kaiser is Professor of European Studies at the University of Portsmouth, UK and Visiting Professor at the College of Europe, Belgium.

Brigitte Leucht lectures in European Studies at the University of Portsmouth, UK and is a Visiting Lecturer at the Graduate Institute of International and Developmental Studies in Geneva, Switzerland.

Morten Rasmussen is Assistant Professor of Contemporary European History at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Reviews

'...the book is of intrinsic interest to students and specialists in all areas of the EU, and valuable to historians and political scientists alike. Indeed the leitmotif of the need for academic cohesiveness in a truly comparative and theoretically grounded framework proves a vital lesson on how all future research in the field should be conducted. It is perhaps this more than anything that makes The History of the European Union a seminal piece in the undoubtedly crowded library of European integration literature.' - Matthew Broad, Journal for Contemporary European Research, Vol.6, No.2, 2010, 289-291

'...the goal of the book is worthy, the insights valuable ... It should appeal to EU integration scholars and advanced students coming at the topic from a number of disciplines.' - European History Quarterly, Vol. 40 No. 4. 2010, 728

Book Information
ISBN 9780415664028
Author Wolfram Kaiser
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 440g