Free Report on Forging Unity: The Origins and Strategies of European Integration

After World War II, what were the three main concerns driving efforts to rebuild European countries?

There were different concerns that European countries faced after World War II; the challenges include a lack of resources to rebuild the European countries after they were destroyed by the attacks during the war. The European countries were left in debt after they borrowed resources to finance their activities during the war (Diez & Wiener, 2019). The European countries required resources to rebuild their industries that earned income to both the countries and the people who were hired by the companies. The economy of the European countries was performing poorly; hence they could not afford to rebuild their destroyed economies.

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The European countries also lacked the raw materials to use in their industries and also food to feed the people. The countries did not produce food during the war period, and hence when the war ended, they did not have food to feed their people. Lack of raw materials crippled the industries, and unemployment increased, making the governments look weak where they were unable to support the needy society (Diez & Wiener, 2019). The European countries feared that if the war resumed, they would not be able to fight back; hence there was confusion on the next move to take. High unemployment rates made people pressure the government to take action to reduce the challenges.

The European governments also faced the threat of being overthrown, where they feared the Soviet Union would help the revolutionaries to overthrow the democratic governments (Diez & Wiener, 2019). The fear by the leaders made it difficult for them to implement measures that could save the countries from the challenges experienced after the war. The Soviet Union and the United States emerged the world leaders because they were still stable after the war.

Explain James Sheehan’s concept of the “Civilian State.” How did the rise of the civilian state assist in the development of the European Union?

James Sheehan defined a civilian state as the state that is capable of fighting a war without end; he argued that Europeans would be civilian states because they could fight their enemies until they achieve the goal (Olsen and McCormick, 2016). Governments have the power to implement a project that is in line with the interests of a particular country. James believed that countries civilian state made countries independent and able to make their own decisions without external influence.

The civilian state narrative led to the formation of the European Union because European countries realized the importance of working as one community and prosper together. The civilian state of European countries made them realize that they are weaker when working independently (Olsen and McCormick, 2016). The European countries realized that cooperation would help them recover after the world war that had destroyed the countries. The formation of the European Economic Community would allow the countries to trade among themselves without restrictions; thus, the countries would prosper economically. The civil state narrative was applied in the European community, where the union was functioning as one entity.

The civilian state concept helped in the development of the European Union because the countries realized that there was no other country that would help them develop. The formation of the European Union helped the countries grow economically because the countries combined their efforts and resources to create one united community (Olsen and McCormick, 2016). The people were also committed to rebuilding their countries after the war; hence the determination contributed to the success of the European Union. James Sheehan believed that countries have the power to develop when they work as one team because the combination of the collective effort would lead to success.

Briefly explain how the European Union (Communities) began. Which were the original founding members? Why these countries? Why didn’t other countries participate?

The European Union has established the goal of ending the fatal wars between the neighbors. These wars led to the Second World War (Olsen and McCormick, 2016). The union was pioneered by visionary leaders who had identical ideals on the European countries' peace, unity, and prosperity. Some of these leaders were Konrad Adenauer, Winston Churchill, Nicole Fontaine, and Jean Monnet. The European Coal and Steel Community began in 1950 to unite the European countries both politically and economically, to maintain long-term peace. The union's founding members were France, Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, and Luxembourg. Being on the same continent, these countries have similar ideologies and interests. By coming together, the countries could avoid confrontations amongst themselves. The European countries also recognized their weakness, and they had a desire to create a fair, free, and more prosperous region. Winston Churchill initiated European integration through a speech at Zurich University.

The reason why some countries were reluctant to join the European Union was the objection from the citizens. For example, the Norwegian population has been against becoming a member of the European Union (Olsen and McCormick, 2016). One of the reasons for the Norwegian's reluctance to the union is based on their welfare. Norway has a high level of welfare, and they fear that joining a union will lead to a loss of sovereignty and resources. However, it is not the only reason why they are reluctant to join the union. Forced union with Denmark and Sweden has made Norway skeptical about union proposals. Other countries were reluctant to join the union as they understood nationalism during the war differently. Some states' dominance with the same ruler also discourages the states that felt that they were inferior and humiliated. Other countries failed to join the union because they did not like some of its elements.

What were the first institutions of European integration, and what were their purposes? Why did European leaders focus on integration in these areas and not others?

The European integration began in November November 1993 in the Netherlands (Olsen and McCormick, 2016). European integration encompasses the process of political, economic, social, legal, industrial, and cultural integration of European states or those near the continent. One of the first institutions of European integration was the European Parliament. The European Parliament is one of the first institutions of the European integration established in 1952. The parliaments' locations are France, which was initially France, Belgium (Belgium), and Luxembourg. The members of the union's parliament are representatives of the member countries. The purpose of the parliament was to set the political agenda of the union. The parliament now serves the budgetary, legislative, and supervisory roles.

The second earliest institution of European integration is the European Council. It was established in 1974, formalized in 1992, and officiated in 2009 (Olsen and McCormick, 2016). The Council sets the political agenda of the union through the leaders of the member states. The Council was established to guide the union on the political priorities, but they are not involved in passing the laws. The Council also deals with the issue that cannot be handled with intergovernmental cooperation at the lower levels. Additionally, they are involved in the setting of foreign and security policy while considering the interests of the union and the implications that the strategies may have.

The third earliest institution of the integration is the European Commission, established in 1958 with its location in Brussels (Belgium). The commission was established to help in new legislation and implementation of the European Parliament and the Council's decisions. It also allocates the funding and, in conjunction with the court of justice, ensures that the union's law is enforced.

Who were some of the principal figures in the founding of the different “communities?” What was their background?

There were different founding figures of the European Union, and they played different roles in their communities. The leaders were mainly political leaders who held various political positions before the war broke out. The leaders represented their countries and communities in the negotiations that led to the formation of the European Union. The leaders were united by the common goal of uniting under a common interest in improving the economic status of their countries and their people after they were destroyed by the war. The leaders included Jacques Delors and Jacques Santer; the two leaders were voted by the member states to create the European Union.

The leaders were responsible for creating the policy that would guide how the member states who interact and trade with each other. Other leaders that were involved in the European community formation included leaders of governmental organizations that collaborated to formulate policies that would allow people to move freely among member states. Different roles played different roles in protecting the interests of their communities and creating policies to protect their interests. There are also non-governmental leaders that represent the rights of the people and minority groups to ensure their voice is heard by all the stakeholders that were creating the policies on engagement.

There were also governance experts that represented member countries that ensured and participated in the formation of laws that were equal to all member states. The law experts ensured that the interests of all communities were considered and no community would feel discriminated against by other member states. The formation of the European Union was meant to unite member countries to work and develop the member countries after they were destroyed and industries shuttered by the war. The representatives of all the communities worked as one team to make the dream of forming the European Union become a reality.

What were the possible ways considered by the principal figures to pursue European integration? Which options did they pursue/not pursue, and why?

The possible ways considered by the principal figures for European integration included political and legal integrations where all negotiations with the outside world would be done representing the interests of the European Union as one community (Sheehan, 2009). The union would give the communities negotiation powers when getting treaties with other communities on political and legal affairs. At the time of the formation of the union, there was political tension because of the mistrust between different countries that were involved in the world war. The member states were guaranteed safety because they were stronger when united.

The other possible way considered was uniting the communities on the basis of economic prosperity. The member communities wanted to create a larger community with an increased market and business capacity to trade with other communities around the world (Sheehan, 2009). The economic benefits of forming the union also include having a big market share for their locally manufactured goods. All the trade barriers between member states were to be removed to facilitate trade between member states. Local businesses would grow when they have a ready market, and people would get employment opportunities.

There was also a benefit brought by the free movement of the people, the borders that were restricted by different communities were opened to allow people from member states to migrate and work in any of the member states (Sheehan, 2009).