Culture européene
Part I The European Union: A definition
An association of states, which decided to work together for political and economic purposes (buts) in order to insure domestic tranquillity.
1950 – 1959 -> European Coal and Steel Community (France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, The Nederlands) Treaty of Paris
1973 -> Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom joined ECSC
1981 -> Greece
1986 -> Spain and Portugal
In 1991, political transformations in the European continent (fall of the Berlin Wall), reunification of Germany. It means an advent of democracy in central and Eastern Europe.
Maastricht treaty in December 1991, came into force in 1993 (EEC->EU), Austria, Sweden and Finland joined the EU in 1995.
In the mid 1990’s Bulgaria, Czech republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, the three Baltic States, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta began to knock at the EU’s door.
EU was happy to welcome these new countries, to share the benefit of these young democracies. Negotiations opened in December 1997.
The EU enlargement take place on may 1, 2004, and on January 2007 that was Bulgaria and Romania, 27 states in EU.
Important Political Figures
After the WWII, Konrad Adenaeur (1876-1967, Germany), Alcide De Gasperi (1881-1954, Italy), Jean Monnet (1888-1979) and Robert Schuman (1886-1963), Paul-Henri Spaak (1899-1972, Belgium) hoped of EU.
European Common History
The Roman Empire: a written constitution, the Christian Faith.
Theorists of the Enlightment (theories des lumières)
The 18th Century : the age of reason
An age of optimism and progress.
A believe in reason, everything is possible. Unravelling (dévoiler) the complexities of natural laws. (1689-1758) Montesqieu and Rousseau (1712-1778) were among the most distinguished in the realm of politic.
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679, England) and John Locke (1632-1709, England).
The industrial revolution
Social protection (The welfare State: état providence) and development