Federalism and European Union : Political Ideas, Influences, and Strategies in the European Community 1972-1986

One of the most frequent criticisms levelled at the European Community is the discrepancy between federalist rhetoric and the intergovernmental response: between its ideological aspirations and contemporary political reality. The federalist heritage of the European Community has become discredited by contemporary political thinkers, and yet it still forms an important part of the community's ideological foundations. Within this book the contrasting theories of Spinelli and Monnet are subjected to rigorous criticism, examining the benefits and pitfalls of their proposals for a unified Europe, and the probability of the gap between theory and actuality ever being bridged in the future. Half-Title......Page 2 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 9 Introduction......Page 10 1 Federalism and the federalists......Page 16 2 The european community's federal heritage......Page 24 3 Jean monnet and altiero spinelli: The two faces of federalism......Page 36 4 The origins and growth of european union, 1969-1979......Page 49 5 European union relaunched, 1980-1984......Page 85 6 Federalism, European union and the intergovernmental response, 1984-1985......Page 124 7 Federalism and the single european act, 1985-1987......Page 137 8 Conculsion......Page 147 Index......Page 150 This book demonstrates that a federal Europe is not a serious threat to the survival of the nation-state. Essential reading for all those interested in European federalism, European politics and the history of the EU