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The Uniting of Europe: Political, Social, and Economic Forces, 1950-1957
Notre Dame Press is pleased to bring Ernst Haas's classic work on European integration, The Uniting of Europe, back into print. First published in 1958 and last printed in 1968, this seminal volume is the starting point for anyone interested in the pre-history of the European Union. Haas uses the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) as a case study of the community formation processes that occur across traditional national and state boundaries. Haas points to the ECSC as an example of an organization with the "power to redirect the loyalties and expectations of political actors."
In this pathbreaking book Haas contends that, based on his observations of the actual integration process, the idea of a "united Europe" took root in the years immediately following World War II. His careful and rigorous analysis tracks the development of the ECSC, including, in his 1968 preface, a discussion of the eventual loss of the individual identity of the ECSC through its absorption into the new European Community.
Featuring a new introduction by Haas analyzing the impact of his book over time, as well as an updated bibliography, The Uniting of Europe is a must-have for political scientists and historians of modern and contemporary Europe. This book is the inaugural volume of Notre Dame's new Contemporary European Politics and Society Series.
In this pathbreaking book Haas contends that, based on his observations of the actual integration process, the idea of a "united Europe" took root in the years immediately following World War II. His careful and rigorous analysis tracks the development of the ECSC, including, in his 1968 preface, a discussion of the eventual loss of the individual identity of the ECSC through its absorption into the new European Community.
Featuring a new introduction by Haas analyzing the impact of his book over time, as well as an updated bibliography, The Uniting of Europe is a must-have for political scientists and historians of modern and contemporary Europe. This book is the inaugural volume of Notre Dame's new Contemporary European Politics and Society Series.
642 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1958
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 3, 2025
This is the most important book written about European integration. Ernst B. Haas was interested in the destiny of one of the first institutions with supranational ambitions, the European Coal and Steel Community, set up in 1950-1952. The result is a very detailed monograph with theoretical and descriptive ambitions. I recommend The Uniting of Europe to anyone interested in modern politics.
The author envisioned here neofunctionalism, the first major explanation about what is now called the EU. Not translated in Romanian unfortunately, The Uniting of Europe is a classical work, with normative and scientific goals. Ernst Haas wanted to study the method of abolishing war, for the long term, in one of the most troubled places in the world, from this point of view. Published in 1958, it is still good today, and the 2004 edition includes a very interesting update from the author.
While reading Ernst Haas’s work, I noticed that some things have a long tradition. National politicians blamed the European organizations for unpopular decisions since the 1950s, business leaders were influential, and the eurocrats were discreet. Others are new. At that time, liberal democracy and pluralism were not contested in Western Europe, and the United States was a supporter.
According to this work, the process of integration followed the logic of functional spill-over in this region. Ernst Haas's argument was very nuanced and was often misunderstood. The deepening of integration worked because societies were fragmented, lobbies looked for help at the new supranational level, and there were no major political or identity conflicts.
Ernst Haas was a flexible scholar, and he changed his mind twice. He was criticized for idealism and determinism. Up to a point, the subtlety of his perspective is at fault: the idea of a supranational community, pushed ahead by a mixture of ideology and selfishness, the product of choices that are free, but tend towards good results. Maybe The Uniting of Europe reflects the ambiguities of the integration process.
The author envisioned here neofunctionalism, the first major explanation about what is now called the EU. Not translated in Romanian unfortunately, The Uniting of Europe is a classical work, with normative and scientific goals. Ernst Haas wanted to study the method of abolishing war, for the long term, in one of the most troubled places in the world, from this point of view. Published in 1958, it is still good today, and the 2004 edition includes a very interesting update from the author.
While reading Ernst Haas’s work, I noticed that some things have a long tradition. National politicians blamed the European organizations for unpopular decisions since the 1950s, business leaders were influential, and the eurocrats were discreet. Others are new. At that time, liberal democracy and pluralism were not contested in Western Europe, and the United States was a supporter.
According to this work, the process of integration followed the logic of functional spill-over in this region. Ernst Haas's argument was very nuanced and was often misunderstood. The deepening of integration worked because societies were fragmented, lobbies looked for help at the new supranational level, and there were no major political or identity conflicts.
Ernst Haas was a flexible scholar, and he changed his mind twice. He was criticized for idealism and determinism. Up to a point, the subtlety of his perspective is at fault: the idea of a supranational community, pushed ahead by a mixture of ideology and selfishness, the product of choices that are free, but tend towards good results. Maybe The Uniting of Europe reflects the ambiguities of the integration process.
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November 18, 2013The first book about European integration in the neofunctionalist school. Perfect for EU-nerds
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews