Date of Award

6-1-2012

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Organizational Unit

Josef Korbel School of International Studies

First Advisor

Rachel Epstein, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Lewis Griffith, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Lisa Conant

Keywords

Adenauer, Eisenhower, European Coal and Steel Community, European Union, Monnet, Truman

Abstract

A balance-of-power argument that completely discounts the role played by the United States has been employed in a recent attempt to explain both the origins of European integration and the Continent's recent difficulties. This thesis sets out to rebut these notions through an examination of the historical record. Such an examination makes it clear that France and West Germany's reasons for pursuing the integration of Western Europe were grounded in these states' relationships with one another within the postwar context, not in their fear of Soviet aggression. France, after all, was seeking to rebuild itself and hold down the Germans after the war, while West Germany was seeking to regain its sovereignty. Further, it is clear from the historical record that the role played by the United States in the earliest iterations of postwar European integration was critical and should not be discounted.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Andrew J. Brienzo

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

en

File Size

118 p.

Discipline

Political Science

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