History of European integration | Université Catholique de Lille

Établissement

ESPOL European School of Political and Social Sciences

Langue d'enseignement

Français, Anglais

Ce cours apparaît dans les formation(s) suivante(s)

Responsable(s)

Giulia SANDRI

Période

Présentation
Modalités
Ressources

Présentation

Prérequis

None

Objectifs

This is a course on the history, the sources, the dynamics, and current issues of European integration since the end of World War II.

This course will introduce the students to the main historical developments of European integration from the end of WWII to the ratification of Lisbon treaty and the financial crisis. The course will deal with the European idea, the nature of post-war European cooperation, the start of European integration in the 1950s and subsequent developments. Following the course, the students should understand the basic chronology of European integration, the nature of the phenomenon and its main driving forces.

The aim of this course is to analyze the process of integration in Europe from 1945 to present and initiate the students to the history, institutions and policies of the European Community (EC)/ European Union (EU) as well as some of the theories that best explain the European project.

The focus will be on the patterns and stages of integration in the changing contexts of European economy and politics, as manifest especially in the landmark treaties and achievements of the period. Attention will be given to contexts, personalities, and major policies. What social, political, and economic forces facilitated the process of European integration and ultimately paved the way to a single European market with a common currency, common foreign and security policy, regulatory policy and citizenship? How do we determine the successes and failures of integration in particular times and particular matters? What are the contemporary challenges facing the EU and what is the future of European integration?

The history of European integration includes the story of the developments in the past from which today’s European Union emerged, but also the analysis of the landmark treaties by which an "ever closer union" has been forged among members states of the European communities, such as those creating the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Economic Community and the European Union. We will also explore the milestone achievements of these several unions, such as a single market, a single currency, European social and foreign policies, and European institutions responding to the variety of tasks Europe has assumed in its integration process.

The first six weeks will outline the main course of the history of European integration from the end of World War II to the founding and early history of the European Union. Then, three topics of recent interest will be addressed: the enlargement to the East and the adoption of the Treaty of Lisbon; the context of the 2008 world-wide economic and financial crisis and Brexit.

Présentation

COURSE OUTLINE & SCHEDULE

Session 1 (13/09/22):

History of European Integration: an Introduction

Introduction: approaches to the study of European Integration

The European Idea: an historical overview

Session 2 (27/09/22):

The Origins of European Integration (1945-1952)

World War II and post-1945 European cooperation, 1945-1949: the Council of Europe, the Western European Union and the NATO

The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)

The European Defence Community and the European Political Community

Session 3 (04/10/22):

The European Common Market (1953-1957)

The Re-launch of Europe and the Messina Conference

The treaties of Rome and the European Common Market (EEC)

The European Free-Trade Association and the “British Alternative”

Session 4 (11/10/22):

Early Common Market and the Era of De Gaulle (1958-1969)

Early Achievements: Trade Liberalization, Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)

Charles de Gaulle’s European policy: the Empty Chair Crisis and the question of Great Britain's Membership

The Hague summit: completion, deepening and enlargement

Session 5 (18/10/22):

Eurosclerosis (1970-1982)

The dismal decade? The 1970s in European integration history

Achievements: Cassis de Dijon Court Case, European Parliament, Enlargement

The road towards a Monetary Union

Session 6 (08/11/22):

The Single European Act and the Luxembourg process (1983-1990)

New Leadership in the Member States: Mitterrand, Thatcher, Kohl and New Leadership of European Community: Delors

The Single European Act (SEA)

Session 7 (15/11/22):

The Maastricht Treaty, the Euro, and enlargement: the European Union (1991-1996)

The two Intergovernmental Conferences (IGC's)

Treaty on European Union (TEU)

The European Monetary Union (EMU) and the EURO

Session 8 (22/11/22):

European integration since Maastricht and the last waves of enlargement (1997-2013)

The Treaty of Amsterdam and the Treaty of Nice

The European Constitution: the Constitutional Convention

The Lisbon Treaty

The Enlargements to the East

Session 9 (29/11/22):

The last decade of European integration and Brexit (2010-2020)

The last decade of integration and the financial crisis

Brexit

History of European Integration: a recap

2. Recommended texts and readings:

It is strongly recommended, but not required, for the students to read the following book:

Dinan, D. Europe Recast: A History of European Union, 2nd edition, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2014.

The following texts also should prove very useful as core overview texts:

Bossuat, G. Histoire de l’Union Européenne. Paris, Belin, 2009.

Costa, O., & Brack, N. (2018). How the EU really works. Routledge.

Dedman, M. The Origins and Development of the European Union, London, Routledge, 2010.

Gilbert, M. European Integration, A Concise History. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011.

Kaiser, W. and Varsori A. (eds.). European Union

Modalités

Modalités d'enseignement

2h lectures

Course format: Lectures, 18 hours (in English), 3 ECTS – 9 classes of 2h each

The course is taught through frontal lectures. Lectures take place once a week, and altogether there are 9 ex-cathedra lectures of 2 hours each. Students are encouraged to participate and ask questions. Lectures are designed to outline the topic in general, highlight illustrative examples and discuss some salient points. They are meant to introduce to the topic at hand, to build the basis of informed discussion and exam answers. Students are expected to attend all the lectures.

Course Assessment:

The course grade will be based on the final examination, on class participation and a mid-term test. The mid-term exam will consist in a 2-hour written exam, with 1 open-ended question and 10 multiple-choice questions (counts for 40% of the final grade). The final examination will be based on all presentations in class and the assigned readings for the entire term. The format of the final examination will consist in 3 hours written exam, with 2 open-ended questions and 10 multiple-choice questions (counts for 60% of the final grade). Evidence of attendance and of persistent and high-quality contribution to class discussions will also be considered in the determination of the course grade.

Évaluation

Ressources

Bibliographie

, It is strongly recommended, but not required, for the students to read the following book:|| |||| Dinan, D. Europe Recast: A History of European Union, 2nd edition, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2014.|| The following texts also should prove very useful as core overview texts: Bossuat, G. Histoire de l’Union Européenne. Paris, Belin, 2009.|||| Dedman, M. The Origins and Development of the European Union, London, Routledge, 2010.|||| Gilbert, M. European Integration, A Concise History. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011.|||| Kaiser, W. and Varsori A. (eds.). European Union History: Themes and Debates, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.|||| Hix, S. and Hoyland, B. The Political System of the European Union, 3rd ed., Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.|||| Lelieveldt, H. and Princen, S. The Politics of the European Union, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2011.|||| Magnette, P. Le régime politique de l’Union Européenne, Paris, Presses de Sciences Po, 3e éd., 2009.|||| Merand, F., et Weisbein, J., Introduction à l’Union européenne, Institutions, politiques et sociétés, Bruxelles, De Boeck, 2011|||| Olivi B and Giacone, A. L'Europe difficile. La construction européenne, Paris, Gallimard, 2007.|||| Schwok, R. Théories de l’intégration européenne. Paris, Montchrestien, 2005.|||| Urwin, Derek. The Community of Europe: A History of European Integration since 1945, London: Longman, 1994.