History of European Union

[Muzk]

Can any of you point me at some Marxist essays or good sources for the history of the European Union? I couldn't find anything on MIA nor on google for "marxists on European Union", and since I don't really trust the official EU site in telling the whole story, do any of you have something that might be relevant to my interests?


Thanks.

[flobdob]

There's definately been a lack of writing on the EU by Marxists beyond it's social policies. The best I can think of are sections of Andrew Glyn's stuff on post-1945 Capitalism, and "The Political Economy of Capitalism: A Marxist Analysis" by Aaranovitch, Smith, Gardiner and Moore had a good section on the EEC, the predecessor of the EU.
Aside from that, I can't think of much else, you'll just have to trawl through archives of various left papers.

[Benjamin Hill]

Indeed, there has been a lack of analysis on the matter. This is because much of the far left only call for European unity in an abstract way, not by using and transcending on the current EU transnational institutions, but by leaving the EU or advocating "less influence from Brussels", which is somehow going to help organise the working class on an European level.

Anyway, the CPGB has been a remarkable different voice, explicitly arguing for a European Communist Party. I think the article "New vision for Europe wanted (http://www.cpgb.org.uk/worker/788/newvision.php)" by James Turley is a good read, be that is short to function as any kind of referring material. They also have published a book, called "Remaking Europe" by Jack Conrad, but I haven't read it so I don't know if it is great material.

[Dimentio]

Can any of you point me at some Marxist essays or good sources for the history of the European Union? I couldn't find anything on MIA nor on google for "marxists on European Union", and since I don't really trust the official EU site in telling the whole story, do any of you have something that might be relevant to my interests?


Thanks.

Actually, the person who first formed the idea for a European Union was an Italian communist who sat in prison in fascist Italy while he imagined the establishment of a European federation, a sort of "United States of Europe" founded on socialist principles.

[Zanthorus]

Actually, the person who first formed the idea for a European Union was an Italian communist who sat in prison in fascist Italy while he imagined the establishment of a European federation, a sort of "United States of Europe" founded on socialist principles.

Actually, the idea goes back a bit further than even that. Bakunin talks about a united states of europe in "Federalism, Socialism, Anti-Theologism (http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bakunin/works/various/reasons-of-state.htm)".


That there is but one way to bring about the triumph of liberty, of justice, and of peace in Europe's international relations, to make civil war impossible between the different peoples who make up the European family; and that is the formation of the United States of Europe.

[CartCollector]

Well see, the thing is, a United States of Europe was a utopian dream back when the European empires were constantly fighting each other for more land, more resources, and more markets. Now the old empires are gone, so European countries don't have that reason to fight each other any more. So a European Union isn't as radical as it once was.

[Benjamin Hill]

Well see, the thing is, a United States of Europe was a utopian dream back when the European empires were constantly fighting each other for more land, more resources, and more markets. Now the old empires are gone, so European countries don't have that reason to fight each other any more. So a European Union isn't as radical as it once was.
Indeed. The slogan should be more along the lines of a united European republic. This would kill two birds with one stone, as you also topple all European monarchies with such a slogan ;)