OBSTACLES TO EUROPEAN UNIFICATION

In: The annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Band 348, S. 46-53

Abstract

The desire for unification is deeply rooted in European thought, & the concept has gained in importance & acceptance over the cent's. At the close of WW II, Europe lay in shambles which were the culmination of strife, misrepresentation, & hatred. Separated from its eastern portion & faced with the Communist menace, Western Europe had the choice of cooperation or going under. Co-operation was chosen. Obstacles to practical unification, some of them formidable, remain, but they can be overcome. The divisive forces which exist - & which Communist leaders hope to exploit in order to break Western solidarity - include geography, racial myths, language barriers, history, religion, cultural diff's, psychol'al factors, nat'lism, econ competition, problems of minorities, & divergent foreign-policy objectives. The split of Europe into East & West means that unification can be discussed in immediate terms only for Western Europe &, indeed, for only a part of that. Expecting too much too fast in Europe can only lead to disillusionment, yet the progress toward European community since WWII has been little short of phenomenal, & the obstacles which challenge unification are no cause for despair. AA.