Transcript The Idea of Europe - Elizabethtown College

The Idea of Europe
Stephen Brill
Preliminary
• Europe is both united and divided at the same time
• It’s hard to define Europe vs. European
• Since the Early Middle Ages Monarchs, popes, generals, and philosophers have
attempted to implement cooperation between European provinces
Preliminary
• To better understand Europe it’s important to understand
Europe’s
• History
• Location
• Political, Economic and Social “make-up”
• As well as Europe’s Culture
Europe’s Changing Identity
• The word Europe is thought to come from the Greek mythology: Europa
• The peak of the Roman Empire (200 BC to 400 AD) helped spread the concept of Europe as a ‘single
cultural complex’
• The birth of Europe is often dated to the Early Middle Ages (500-1050)
• In the High Middle Ages (mid-eleventh century) commerce revived, leading to an increase in agricultural
production and population growth
• By the fifteenth century it became more common for scholars to use the term Europe to describe
European territories
Europe’s Changing Identity
• The Renaissance (roughly 1350-1550) let Europe to shift from the Church
• By the end of the 16th century Europeans had shifted to individualism and
republicanism
• However, European unification had never been as strong as it had after World War II
• Today what unites Europeans is more distinct than what divides them
Where is Europe?
Europeanism
Key Features
• Democracy
• Parliamentary government
• Constitutional patriotism
• Cosmopolitanism
• Multiculturalism
• Communitarianism
• Capitalism
• Collective Society
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Welfarism
Sustainable development
Secularism
Redefinition of the family
Multilateralism
Smart power
Civilian power
Conclusions
• Europe has a rich history
• The European mind-set after WWII has dramatically altered the
idea of Europe
• Europeans increasingly have more in common thanks to social
and economic integration
BONUS: Fun Facts!
• The EU covers ¾ of the land area of Europe and accounts for 93% of economic
wealth
• More than 50% of Europeans think of themselves as European
• There is no such thing as a European people or race
• Europe’s natives speak more than 40 different languages with 23 official languages
Questions?