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The New Totalitarian Temptation: Global Governance and the Crisis of Democracy in Europe
What caused the eurozone debacle and the chaos in Greece? Why has Europe’s migrant crisis spun out of control, over the heads of national governments? Why is Great Britain calling a vote on whether to leave the European Union? Why are established political parties declining across the continent while protest parties rise? All this is part of the whirlwind that EU elites are reaping from their efforts to create a unified Europe without meaningful accountability to average voters.
The New Totalitarian Global Governance and the Crisis of Democracy in Europe is a must-read if you want to understand how the European Union got to this point and what the European project fundamentally is. This is the first book to identify the essence of the EU in a utopian vision of a supranationally governed world, an aspiration to achieve universal peace through a global legal order.
The ambitions of the global governancers are unlimited. They seek to transform not just the world’s political order, but the social order as well—discarding basic truths about human nature and the social importance of tradition in favor of a human rights policy defined by radical autonomy and unfettered individual choice. And the global governance ideology at the heart of the EU is inherently antidemocratic. EU true believers are not swayed by the common sense of voters, nor by reality itself.
Because the global governancers aim to transfer core powers of all nations to supranational organizations, the EU is on a collision course with the United States. But the utopian ideas of global governance are taking root here too, even as the European project flames into rancor and turmoil. America and Europe are still cultural cousins; we stand or fall together. The EU can yet be reformed, and a commitment to democratic sovereignty can be renewed on both sides of the Atlantic.
The New Totalitarian Global Governance and the Crisis of Democracy in Europe is a must-read if you want to understand how the European Union got to this point and what the European project fundamentally is. This is the first book to identify the essence of the EU in a utopian vision of a supranationally governed world, an aspiration to achieve universal peace through a global legal order.
The ambitions of the global governancers are unlimited. They seek to transform not just the world’s political order, but the social order as well—discarding basic truths about human nature and the social importance of tradition in favor of a human rights policy defined by radical autonomy and unfettered individual choice. And the global governance ideology at the heart of the EU is inherently antidemocratic. EU true believers are not swayed by the common sense of voters, nor by reality itself.
Because the global governancers aim to transfer core powers of all nations to supranational organizations, the EU is on a collision course with the United States. But the utopian ideas of global governance are taking root here too, even as the European project flames into rancor and turmoil. America and Europe are still cultural cousins; we stand or fall together. The EU can yet be reformed, and a commitment to democratic sovereignty can be renewed on both sides of the Atlantic.
- GenresPolitics
274 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 16, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 24, 2018
Great book to better understand conservative Euroskeptic viewpoints. There is clear bias that is acknowledged but overall it is well written.
June 12, 2023
4 plus. What goes on inside the EU? Not in the European Union countries as such, but inside the system - the "wheels within in the wheels" - the decisions and commands made by the EU elite, and the "soft utopian" ideas their ruling is based upon. Too few people knows about this. How many has hears about "the Monnet Method"? You will earn about it here.
The New Totalitarian Temptation is an important read for those who want to understand how the European Union got where it is, and what the European project fundamentally is. And why it so often fails. The book is written from a conservative point of view, without sounding too judgemental.
The New Totalitarian Temptation is an important read for those who want to understand how the European Union got where it is, and what the European project fundamentally is. And why it so often fails. The book is written from a conservative point of view, without sounding too judgemental.
December 7, 2025
Todd Huizinga’s The New Totalitarian Temptation is a persuasive and accessible critique of the European Union’s deeper ideological project. Although published in 2015, the book remains relevant, especially for readers who want to understand why so many Europeans have grown skeptical of supranational governance.
At the heart of the book is a clear and forceful argument: European elites are slowly fraying the traditional and cultural bonds that once grounded national communities in order to cultivate a stronger EU-level polity and identity. Huizinga’s account of “ever closer union” is particularly compelling. He shows how, within EU institutions, virtually every crisis — economic, political, or social —becomes an opportunity to push integration further. The tendency toward centralization is treated not as a response to events but as the natural fulfillment of an ideological trajectory.
Huizinga writes with clarity and fairness. While firmly critical of the EU’s direction, he does not dismiss or impugn the motives of those who support deeper integration. His tone is charitable, even when he strongly disagrees, which makes the argument more credible and more readable.
The book is less convincing in its treatment of certain social issues. Though nuanced, these sections feel more strained and less tightly argued than the political chapters. Ultimately, however, this does little to detract from the overall thrust of the work.
For me, the book did not shift my views; rather, it reinforced them. Huizinga argues that politics cannot function as a substitute religion and that any political order untethered from the cultural and institutional roots that first gave it life will eventually provoke a backlash.
Although now somewhat dated, the book remains valuable for any reader curious about the world we live in, particularly those who mistrust global governance or who want a deeper understanding of the ideological forces shaping the EU. It will resonate most with conservative readers, but it contains insights worth considering across the political spectrum.
4 stars. A thoughtful, well-written, and diplomatically argued critique of the EU’s ideological drift.
At the heart of the book is a clear and forceful argument: European elites are slowly fraying the traditional and cultural bonds that once grounded national communities in order to cultivate a stronger EU-level polity and identity. Huizinga’s account of “ever closer union” is particularly compelling. He shows how, within EU institutions, virtually every crisis — economic, political, or social —becomes an opportunity to push integration further. The tendency toward centralization is treated not as a response to events but as the natural fulfillment of an ideological trajectory.
Huizinga writes with clarity and fairness. While firmly critical of the EU’s direction, he does not dismiss or impugn the motives of those who support deeper integration. His tone is charitable, even when he strongly disagrees, which makes the argument more credible and more readable.
The book is less convincing in its treatment of certain social issues. Though nuanced, these sections feel more strained and less tightly argued than the political chapters. Ultimately, however, this does little to detract from the overall thrust of the work.
For me, the book did not shift my views; rather, it reinforced them. Huizinga argues that politics cannot function as a substitute religion and that any political order untethered from the cultural and institutional roots that first gave it life will eventually provoke a backlash.
Although now somewhat dated, the book remains valuable for any reader curious about the world we live in, particularly those who mistrust global governance or who want a deeper understanding of the ideological forces shaping the EU. It will resonate most with conservative readers, but it contains insights worth considering across the political spectrum.
4 stars. A thoughtful, well-written, and diplomatically argued critique of the EU’s ideological drift.
September 26, 2016
Well-written, highly educational primer on the structure of the EU. It is written from a conservative perspective.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews