A Collective Identity Of Europe - 959 Words

Post-war European nations were faced with the task of restructuring their states after the devastating war. A collective agreement was made for a political body to help stabilize much of Europe. The Community provided external political structure that would provide the means necessary to create a stable economy and develop technologies, but in order to do so there would need to be a collective identity of Europe. As nation-states were trying to redefine their history and assert their independence it became a delicate balance between maintaining their own identity and joining in the Community that would impose new regulation but also provide the resources necessary to rebuild economically. This struggle to maintain a national identity†¦show more content†¦The benefit was that nation-states could now have their own domestic economy and still benefit from the advancing international markets that were more accessible. However, economics cannot be viewed as an independent unit. How the market works is inadvertently based on a cultural set of ideals and markets can function differently from state to state. In order to formalize an institution to control the economy new regulations must be set in place. In the sense of the European Community all nations states had to join together to create a set of rules that everyone agreed upon. By abiding by new rules nations in return could expect to benefit from a larger political body. This all sounded very promising, a new and stronger institution would regulate the economy, and provide security for the vulnerable post-war nations. In doing so, Europe would create a collective identity, a sense of nationality. Although after the war the idea of a stronger unified economy sounded promising it could also be viewed as a hindrance in the long term. The European Community’s goal was to create a unification of the nation-states but from the viewpoint of a individual state this could be a loss of independence and identity. This communal identity â€Å"made western European states resemble each other much more than they resembled those of other places or other times.† The focus was no longer onShow MoreRelatedNational and European Identity 1273 Words   |  6 Pagesstrong interest in the concept of European Union identity (Cram, 2009). The ‘European union’ identity can be identified nowadays, although there are still conflicts between national identities and a shared European identity which can be illustrated by the data from Eurobarameter and other sources. Most people perceive themselves as Europeans, as Anderson (1991) state, there is no contradictory between Europe and nation-state, ‘country first, but Europe, too’ is the main feeling of the public. HoweverRead MoreEmotion And Devotion : The Meaning Of Mary Medieval Religious Cultures Essay1508 Words   |  7 Pagesthe modern era. 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