Beck German Europe

1. Auflage 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7456-6952-6
Verlag: John Wiley & Sons
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 120 Seiten, E-Book

The euro crisis is tearing Europe apart. But the heart of thematter is that, as the crisis unfolds, the basic rules of Europeandemocracy are being subverted or turned into their opposite,bypassing parliaments, governments and EU institutions.Multilateralism is turning into unilateralism, equality intohegemony, sovereignty into the dependency and recognition intodisrespect for the dignity of other nations. Even France, whichlong dominated European integration, must submit to Berlin'sstrictures now that it must fear for its international creditrating.
How did this happen? The anticipation of the European catastrophehas already fundamentally changed the European landscape of power.It is giving birth to a political monster: a German Europe.
Germany did not seek this leadership position - rather, it is aperfect illustration of the law of unintended consequences. Theinvention and implementation of the euro was the price demanded byFrance in order to pin Germany down to a European Monetary Union inthe context of German unification. It was a quid pro quo forbinding a united Germany into a more integrated Europe in whichFrance would continue to play the leading role. But the preciseopposite has happened. Economically the euro turned out to be verygood for Germany, and with the euro crisis Chancellor Angela Merkelbecame the informal Queen of Europe.
The new grammar of power reflects the difference between creditorand debtor countries; it is not a military but an economic logic.Its ideological foundation is 'German euro nationalism'- that is, an extended European version of the Deutschmarknationalism that underpinned German identity after the Second WorldWar. In this way the German model of stability is beingsurreptitiously elevated into the guiding idea for Europe.
The Europe we have now will not be able to survive in therisk-laden storms of the globalized world. The EU has to be morethan a grim marriage sustained by the fear of the chaos that wouldbe caused by its breakdown. It has to be built on something morepositive: a vision of rebuilding Europe bottom-up, creating aEurope of the citizen. There is no better way to reinvigorateEurope than through the coming together of ordinary Europeansacting on their own behalf.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Beck, Ulrich

Weitere Mitwirkende

Livingstone, Rodney

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface
Introduction. Europe: To Be or Not to Be: The decision facingGermany.
I How the euro crisis is both tearing Europe apart and unitingit
1. How German austerity policies are dividing Europe - thegovernments are for it, the peoples are
against
2. The achievements of the European Union
3. The blindness of economics
4. European domestic politics: the national concept
of politics is outmoded
5. The EU crisis is not a debt crisis
II Europe's new power coordinates: the path to a GermanEurope
1. Europe under threat and the crisis of politics
2. The new landscape of European power
3. 'Merkiavelli': hesitation as a means ofcoercion
III A social contract for Europe
1. More freedom through more Europe
2. More social security through more Europe
3. More democracy through more Europe
4. The question of power: who will enforce the socialcontract?
5. A European spring?
Notes

Über Autor(innen)

Ulrich Beck is one of the world's leading sociologists andsocial thinkers, well-known for his best-selling book Risk Society.He is Emeritus Professor at Munich, London and Paris.