Prelude to a United Europe
POL 137: IR IN WESTERN EUROPE
T.W. Taylor, UC Davis
"I wished to found a European system, a European Code of Laws,
a European judiciary: there would be but one people in Europe“
- Napoleon, 1810
I. Attempts at European Unification
1.
Unification by empire
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Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
Napoleonic Empire
Nazi Empire
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Roman Empire, 117 AD
At its greatest extent
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Holy Roman Empire, 1600
over modern political boundaries
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French Empire, 1812
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Nazi German Empire, 1944
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Attempts at European Unification
2.
Unification through religion
 Catholic Church
i. Power of the Church
ii. Salience of “other” identity
 Thirty Years War
 Protestant/Catholic unity
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Religious traditions in modern Europe
Blue: Catholic; Purple: Protestant; Orange: Orthodox; Yellow: Sunni Islam
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Attempts at European Unification
3.
Voluntary unification
 Switzerland (1291)
 German unification
 Zollverein (1834)
 North German Confederation (1867)
 German Empire (1871)
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German Empire, 1871
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Unification through Identity
Discussion Activity
 Any unity existing under the Church was based upon identity
 Moving from regional to national identities has also helped from
sub-state to state-level
 Is it possible to create a European identity across nation-states?
 In a context of multiple identities, will a European identity transcend
national identities?
 If created, will a European identity lead to conflict outside of the region
through “us” vs. “them”?
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II. European IR Dominance
•
European influence (19th Century)
 Concert of Europe
 Imperialism
 Congress of Berlin (1885)
 Asian empires
 Military prowess
•
Tensions in the continent
 Franco-German divide
Rhodes Colossus in Punch,1892
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III. European IR Decline
•
Russo-Japanese War (1905)
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World War I
 Nationalism
 Russian revolution
 Continental destruction
•
Versailles
 League of Nations
 Power shift outside of western Europe
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Interwar period
Assault on German trench
 German frustration
 Failed collective security
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Lost German territory, Versailles 1919
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IV. World War II
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Resurgence of nationalism
 motivation for war and genocide
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German expansion
 French defeat and forced unification
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Allied Powers: an alliance of convenience
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End of war
 “tragedy of Europe”
 Physical devastation
 Rise of domestic communist parties
 Resistance movements and legacy of federalism
 Power shift  USA and USSR
Soviet flag over the Reichstag, 1945
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WWII Deaths in Europe
Each symbol represents
100,000
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Partition of Germany, 1945
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