Europe, a Leap into the Unknown

This book recreates the first decade of the history of the EU: why and how the ECSC, EEC and the EURATOM treaties were proposed and negotiated, as well as the fiasco of the EDC. This history is set in the context of an analysis of the thinking of the EU’s «Founding Fathers» (Monnet, Schuman, Adenauer, de Gasperi & Spaak). This non-fiction story recreates the decade that gave birth to the European Communities (1948–1957). Written in a journalistic style, it shows the origins of the EU project through the eyes of the protagonists. Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman, Konrad Adenauer, Alcide De Gasperi and Paul-Henri Spaak – the so-called «Fathers of Europe» – are brought back to life, so that the reader can learn about their personal backgrounds and beliefs, and also see them in action. Their discussions are key to understanding how and why decisions which today affect the lives of 500 million Europeans were taken at the time. All facts and conversations have been taken from the memoirs of the protagonists, newspaper articles, speeches, EU historical archives and interviews with people who knew them.

Pages: 210, Edition: Nieuw, Paperback, Peter Lang AG