"EUROPE IN OUR TIME" (WALTER LAQUEUR).   Term Paper ID:21017 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Reviews work on post-WWII Europe, recovery, European Community, politics, fall of Soviet Union, attitudes toward U.S.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Reviews work on post-WWII Europe, recovery, European Community, politics, fall of Soviet Union, attitudes toward U.S. Paper Introduction: In the period after World War II, the United States arguably looked past Europe toward the Eastern bloc more than actually involving herself with the issues facing Europe, wit the forces that would bring Europe to its present state of semi-unification and developing autonomy in a regional sense. While the U.S. may have seemed closely involved in the affairs of Europe through special alliances such as NATO and the United Nations, much of the interest displayed in Europe was really a desire to check the communists rather than to develop Europe or understand European internal concerns. Much of the time, as a result, the United States was resented as much as admired. Over that same history, of course, the U.s. has become more and more enmeshed in the affairs of Asia and the Pacific Rim. In American politics, the Democrats in recent years have been criticized for ignoring Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Laqueur is well aware that this newmeaning has both opportunities and dangers for Europe and for the world,and yet he finds more reason to be optimistic than not. and not to thepeople. Yet the dissolution of the Soviet Unionand its satellite Eastern bloc offers a rare opportunity for curtailingcertain defense policies and expenditures on the basis of there no longerbeing an immediate need. The countries of Europe have always had much in common because ofgeography and a shared history, even when that history marked internalrivalries and tensions. The optimismnoted above is largely that of the West, while the East remains an unknownand uncertain factor, one partially feared by the EC as a possible drain onWest European success. In countryafter country similar provisions are found for selecting a prime ministerand for structuring government, though these nation-states were formed andadopted their constitutions at different times and under differentcircumstances. His book offers avery good description of the history of Europe in the period in questionand also provides a number of arguments to be considered for the future ofEurope and for even greater changes to come. This was a source of much of the anti-American feeling and actiontaken over the period by different political groups. Europe in Our Time: A History 1945-1992. the sad fact is that most Americans have limited knowledge ofevents outside their borders simply because they do not care unlessdirectly threatened by a war or some major trade issue. It has also been animpetus to the formation of the EC to achieve economic independence forEurope as a whole if not for individual countries. Interestingly, Laqueur finds a recurrence of certain themes in the199 s. The disintegration of the Soviet Union into aseries of smaller independent states has in effect ended European Communismas an international threat. Europe now faces a future where anymilitary threat remains unknown at this time, yet it is also a future asfraught with dangers as it is with opportunities. Multiparty systems also seem to be inthe majority in Europe, and this is reflected in the proportionalrepresentation which rules elections for legislatures. Laqueur takes the expansive view ofEurope that includes the former Soviet Union and the Soviet bloc nations ofwhat we refer to as Eastern Europe, and he describes the situation in eachof these countries as he does with those of Western Europe, taking thereader from the disarray of the immediate postwar period through thetensions of the Cold War to the promise and optimism of the 199 s andbeyond. has becomemore and more enmeshed in the affairs of Asia and the Pacific Rim. This has naturally created a sense of euphoriain the West, but it has also contributed to the development of a good dealof confusion and uncertainty. A survey of these countries shows the similarities and thedifferences and also shows that the trend overall has been toward arepublican form of government, which is becoming the norm even in formerdictatorships and in Eastern Europe. The impetus for change has become aforce that is pushing the world into a new arrangement, both political andeconomic. With a speed thatseems quite remarkable, the Soviet Union and the Warsaw pact have dissolvedas military threats, though they may pose a form of economic threat becauseof their great need and because of the problems they are facing as they tryto become capitalist democracies. Over that same history, of course, the U.s. Work CitedLaqueur, Walter. Much of the time, as a result, the United States was resented asmuch as admired. Laqueur'sbook is an excellent way of overcoming this intellectual isolationism, atleast as far as Europe is concerned. toward Europe applies to the government of the U.S. For some, it is also asource of motivation for the seeking of political unity, though here thedifferences remain strong enough to keep the countries apart, eachdedicated to protecting its sovereignty to the greatest degree possiblewhile trying to benefit from any possible benefits to accrue from economicintegration. The placeof Europe in the world was changed forever, and the leaders knew thiswithout having a clear idea of how that change would be manifested. Europewas then divided by ideology, with one of the major divisions being betweenWest and East. The end of World War II was the beginning of a recovery for Europe,a recovery that was planned and that was known to be difficult. European governments wanted to remain asautonomous as possible but found it necessary to cede certain prerogativesto groups like NATO and the UN and to the military might of the UnitedStates, but at the same time this need to be somewhat dependent alwaysrankled. InAmerican politics, the Democrats in recent years have been criticized forignoring certain groups, such as blacks, on the assumption that they havenowhere else to go. Some European countries still havea monarchy, though this is largely relegated today to the position of headof state rather than head of the government, meaning that the monarch is asymbol of the unity of the nation and serves a ceremonial function withoutparticipating directly in the promulgation or passage of laws. The most dominant form of government today is some form ofparliamentary government with a prime minister generally chosen from thepolitical party with the largest number of seats. Some countries have apresident who participates in the selection, while others have the primeminister as the head of the government. Now it is Eastern Europe facing the need forrecovery, and while there is hope for a new dawning of capitalism in theEast, there are difficulties making such a change very problematic. Walter Laqueur in his book Europe in Our Time identifies the presentera as one of growing optimism in Europe, and it is true that the inward-turning of Europe has been fueled by and accompanied by a growing optimismover economic issues especially, but also for some by the hope of achievinga politically unified Europe for the first time in history. Americans tend tohave limited knowledge of geography or geopolitical realities. Europe started its move toward integration before the SovietUnion disintegrated, and the latter event has given new meaning to therestructuring Europe was undergoing. While the U.S. He finds thatthe countries of Europe have much in common even as they also have theirspecific differences, differences which are often enhanced and made largerby political actions taken by partisan groups within each society. may have seemed closely involved in the affairs ofEurope through special alliances such as NATO and the United Nations, muchof the interest displayed in Europe was really a desire to check thecommunists rather than to develop Europe or understand European internalconcerns. West and East remain divided today, but now the division iseconomic, with the West reaching a point of economic change throughintegration while the East faces a massive change from planned andcontrolled economies to the free market system of the West. Tensions among thevarious nations of Europe have been endemic for centuries, but after WorldWar II the perception that curtailing these tensions was more importantthan ever became the accepted wisdom and spurred the formation of theEuropean Community (EC), which is now changing its form and structure to bea Europe-without-borders, a Europe with free trade among the twelve memberstates of the EC. In this book, Laqueur examines the forces in place after the end ofWorld War II in each of the countries and regions of Europe and shows thedynamic of political and social movements during the era. Laqueur seesthe postwar era as one with a Europe divided, and the period of optimisminto which Europe has now moved is a period of unification. Walter Laqueur offers a strong assessment of the meaning of thehistory he details in this book and of the possibilities open now to Europefor a more unified and secure future. What has been said above about attitudes and actions taken by theU.S. Since World War II, the primary defense concern forEurope as for America has been the Soviet bloc, including the Soviet Unionand the Eastern European nations of the Warsaw Pact. Formost of this period, Europe has been pushed and pulled between the UnitedStates and the Soviet Union. The EuropeanCommunity is in the process of reshaping itself, redefining itself as acommunity in a way that has never been true before. These countries developed their politicalstructures based on certain shared traditions as well as regionaldifferences. The nations of Europe are reshaping theireconomic structures, and they are also faced with the possibility ofbecoming a unified political entity. In the period after World War II, the United States arguably lookedpast Europe toward the Eastern bloc more than actually involving herselfwith the issues facing Europe, wit the forces that would bring Europe toits present state of semi-unification and developing autonomy in a regionalsense. Where Europe has turned to a great degree is inward, andthis new European isolationism is apparent now in reluctance among U.N.members to become enmeshed in the slightest degree in the troubles inBosnia. This is often how Europe has been treated as well,with the assumption that Europe really has nowhere else to turn but to theUnited States. New York: Penguin Books, 1992.----------------------- 7 If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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