History of the European Union - from the beginning until our time 4003-HEU-OG

1. The Idea of a United Europe before 1945
The mythology of “Europe” – from Charlemagne to Napoleon
19th-century visions of unity (e.g., Wojciech B. Jastrzębowski, Victor Hugo)
Visions of Europe’s unification problems after World War I: Paneuropa (Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi), the League of Nations (incl. Aristide Briand)
2. World War II and Its Impact on the Idea of Integration
The idea of a Benelux customs union (incl. Paul-Henri Spaak)
The Ventotene Manifesto (Altiero Spinelli)
The role of Polish leaders in reflections on post-war Europe (Władysław Sikorski, Józef Retinger)
3. Visions of a United Europe in Post-War Europe
The origins and vision of Winston Churchill (esp. Zurich, 1946)
The significance and role of the Congress of Europe in The Hague (1948)
The preparation, context, and proclamation of the Schuman Declaration (Plan)
Other Founding Fathers of Europe: Konrad Adenauer, Alcide De Gasperi
4. The Treaties: Paris (ECSC, 1951) and Rome (1957) — Creation of the EEC and EURATOM
1951: “Perpetual” peace to make “war impossible” (Jean Monnet)
The European Defence Community: reasons for its failure
1957: The economy — from the Marshall Plan to the EEC customs union
5. Crises and Consolidation in the 1960s
The dispute between strong central authority (Walter Hallstein) and General de Gaulle (“empty chair” crisis)
Development of European law; the role and significance of the Court of Justice
The evolution of the concept of sovereignty within the Communities
6. Prospects and Enlargement in the 1970s
The Werner Report (1970) on Economic and Monetary Union
Accession of the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Ireland (Margaret Thatcher in the 1970s context)
Creation of the European Council (Valéry Giscard d’Estaing)
The first European elections (Simone Veil)
7. Deepening Integration and Further Enlargements in the 1980s
Origins of the Single Market project (Jacques Delors, Margaret Thatcher)
Towards a “European Union” (Altiero Spinelli, the “Crocodile Club” 1984) and European symbols
New European leadership: François Mitterrand, Helmut Kohl (reconciliation, 1984)
Southern enlargements: Greece (1981), Spain and Portugal (1986)
8. The European Union after 1992 (Maastricht)
The three pillars of the Union: limitations of the “Community method”
Economic and Monetary Union (the euro area)
EU citizenship vs national citizenship
“Co-decision” with the European Parliament as a new method of law-making
9. The Amsterdam and Nice Treaties — Institutional Reform
Changes in the organisation of foreign policy
Changes in cooperation in justice and home affairs
Enlargement of 1995: Austria, Finland, and Sweden
Concepts for the future of integration after the fall of the Berlin Wall
10. EU Enlargement in 2004 and 2007 — Challenges of Transformation
The accession process of Central and Eastern European countries
The role of the 1993 Copenhagen criteria
Convergence as an economic objective of European integration
11. The Constitutional Treaty Crisis and the Lisbon Treaty (2009)
The Draft Constitutional Treaty — reasons for its failure
Key changes introduced by the Lisbon Treaty
Strengthening the role of the European Parliament
12. European Crises after 2009
The eurozone financial crisis (2009–2013); role of the ECB (Mario Draghi)
Migration crises (from 2015); the role of German Chancellor Angela Merkel
The rise of populism and euroscepticism (incl. referendums in Greece 2015, Denmark 2015, the Netherlands 2016, Hungary 2016)
13. Brexit and Its Consequences
Origins of the UK referendum (2016)
The negotiation and withdrawal process (2020)
Impact of Brexit on public opinion within the EU (Eurostat)
14. The Coronavirus Pandemic and the Future of the EU
COVID-19 in the EU: instinctive decision-making paralysis and gradual restoration of the Single Market
Social expectations vs lack of Community competences; the role of the European Commission (Ursula von der Leyen)
The Recovery Fund: origins and significance
Lessons from the pandemic for the future of European integration
15. The EU in the Face of the War in Ukraine and a Changing Global Order
EU and Member State responses to Russia’s invasion
Towards a new European security architecture (2022–2024 and post-2025), including energy security
Climate-energy transformation and emission neutrality as an integration goal for 2050 (“Green Deal”)
A renewed impetus for enlargement to the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe