Project Europe: A History

by Kiran Klaus Patel

Today it often appears as though the European Union has entered existential crisis after decades of success, condemned by its adversaries as a bureaucratic monster eroding national sovereignty: at best wasteful, at worst dangerous. How did we reach this point and how has European integration impacted on ordinary people's lives - not just in the member states, but also beyond? Did the predecessors of today's EU really create peace after World War II, as is often argued? How about its contribution to creating prosperity? What was the role of citizens in this process, and can the EU justifiably claim to be a 'community of values'? Kiran Klaus Patel's bracing look back at the myths and realities of integration challenges conventional wisdoms of Europhiles and Eurosceptics alike and shows that the future of Project Europe will depend on the lessons that Europeans derive from its past.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Political Science, European History

379 pages, Hardcover

Published May 21, 2020

Reviews

[Jagoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eine detaillierte Geschichte der EU und der ihr vorangehenden Projekte. Objektiv, sachlich, genau recherchiert.
Das Buch umfasst die EU-Geschichte bis zu den 1990ern. Diejenigen, die die späteren Entwicklungen verstehen möchten, sollten nach einem anderen Werk greifen. Dennoch empfehlenswert.

[Gabriel Stein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting

Perhaps not for the general reader. But for those who need something more than a basic primer on the European Union and how it became what it is today, this is a very interesting and worthwhile book

[Danee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a lot more than I initially thought I would. Very engaging for a book that deals with a topic that can seem broad (and a little tedious) at times.

[Niels de Vries · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book that offers nuances in the general perspective of the European Union. The structure of the book consists of chapters with there own seperate subject with regard to the EU. This results in clear and compact information. It does not, however, prevent it from getting a bit too much detailed or even a bit boring. Nevertheless, strong reminder for anyone interested in an honest review of Project Europe.

[Annalena · Rating 2 out of 5]

zu kompliziert geschrieben

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Currently we often see the EU as "a bureaucratic monster eroding national sovereignty", as GR puts it nicely, "at best wasteful, at worst dangerous." Project Europe describes the history of the EU critically and it makes you understand how we got to where we are now.

Project Europe definitely confronted me with the fact that I know very little on the history of the European Union, even though we went through a lot of this during high school in The Netherlands. It just completely left my mind. It was a difficult book to read; also because it is not available (yet) in my native language Dutch. I think I should probably return to it later on, maybe after reading recently purchased Dit Is Europa by Hendrik Vos.