The passage to Europe : how a continent became a union / Luuk Van Middelaar.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Middelaar, Luuk van, 1973-

Standardized Title:

Passage naar Europa. English

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

European Union--History.

European Union.

History--European Union.

History.

Europe--Politics and government--20th century.

Europe.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (391 pages).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, 2013.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

As financial turmoil in Europe preoccupies political leaders and global markets, it becomes more important than ever to understand the forces that underpin the European Union, hold it together and drive it forward. This timely book provides a gripping account of the realities of power politics among European states and between their leaders. Drawing on long experience working behind the scenes, Luuk van Middelaar captures the dynamics and tensions shaping the European Union from its origins until today. It is a story of unexpected events and twists of fate, bold vision and sheer necessity, told from the perspective of the keyplayers - from de Gaulle to Havel, Thatcher to Merkel. Van Middelaar cuts through the institutional complexity by exploring the unforeseen outcomes of decisive moments and focusing on the quest for public legitimacy. As a first-hand witness to the day-to-day actions and decisions of Europe's leaders, the author provides a vivid narrative of the crises and compromises that united a continent. By revisiting the past, he sheds fresh light on the present state of European unification and offers insights into what the future may hold.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

Prologue

The Transition to Majority

1. The Step Across

2. The Leap

3. The Bridge

In the River of Time

4. Coming Together as Six (1950-57)

5. Community Waiting (1958-89)

6. Acting as a Union (1989-today)

Winning Applause

7. The German Strategy: Creating Companions in Destiny

8. The Roman Strategy: Securing Clients

9. The Greek Strategy: Seducing the Chorus

Afterword

Notes

Commentary and Bibliography

Acknowledgments

Index

Notes:

Translation of: De passage naar Europa.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 24. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

0-300-19540-0

9780300181128

9780300195408

OCLC:

841809802