History of European Integration

How and why did European countries choose to pool resources and relinquish national sovereignty to supranational institutions after the Second World War? Was European economic and political integration inevitable? What are the historical junctures and milestones in the development of European cooperation and integration? The course offers an introduction to the origins, nature and development of European integration since 1945. Particular emphasis is placed on the conditions for integration at the domestic, European, and international levels. The course critically examines how historians have conceptualized and explained Europe, the history of economic and political integration, and the attitudes of individual states to the process of European integration. Central topics include for instance war and reconstruction, planning and liberalization in post-war societies as well as the EEC/EC/EU's relationship with other international organizations.

Successful candidates are expected to have acquired the following knowledge and skills:

Knowledge

Students

• have detailed knowledge and understanding of the history of economic and political integration in Europe since World War II
• are familiar with the different ways in which historians have conceptualized and explained European integration

Skills

Students are able to

• critically reflect on the history of European integration and place contemporary and current development in a broader historical context
• apply their knowledge in discussions of central topics in the history of European integration
• communicate this knowledge orally and in writing, using the appropriate terminology

Lectures and group seminars. Obligatory written assignment (approved/not approved).