Alan S. Milward challenges the conventional view that European integration was designed to eliminate the nation-state. He argues that post-war governments used the creation of the European Community to restore their own domestic legitimacy and economic stability. By analyzing coal and steel markets, agricultural subsidies, and social welfare expansion, Milward demonstrates how national leaders transferred specific powers to supranational bodies only when it served to strengthen their internal authority. The framework positions the European Union as a tool for national survival rather than a federalist project aimed at eroding sovereignty.
Historians, political scientists, and policy analysts read this book to understand the tension between regional cooperation and national interests. It provides a structural analysis of why states choose to integrate certain economic sectors while protecting others. Readers gain a clear perspective on the bureaucratic and economic drivers behind European treaties. This text serves those who require a realistic, non-idealized explanation of high-level diplomacy and the functional requirements of modern governance in a globalized market.
Deep and outward-looking; a demanding read.
Best for readers like The Systems Thinker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2000
- Publisher
- Psychology Press
- ISBN
- 9780415216296
- Language
- EN
