By the 1850’s attitudes towards the union had become so divergent as to make compromise, in practice, impossible. Discuss.
By the 1850's attitudes towards the union had become so divergent as to make compromise, in practice, impossible. Discuss. When answering this question we must consider the way that attitudes towards the union had evolved over time in the United States, and how these changes affected the possibility of compromise. Firstly, one must point out the ideas of the union and the original views expressed at the time of the time the union was conceived. The union had been created amongst a wave of patriotic fervour in America, and at the time it was set up, the 'Founding Fathers' of the constitution had organised a system, which, while providing a largely democratic (for its time) government, was most importantly, federal. This system provided government on two levels, and this was supposed to satisfy the sections that even then were becoming very apparent - North and South. As the US grew in population, gained more wealth, and expanded massively in territory, it became clear that there were some very potent differences between the two sections. This idea of sectionalism existed on two levels: the first was cultural and the second economic. It is this movement that changed attitudes to the union and as such, I will be considering the impact this movement had on attitudes to the union. The development of the US had, by the early 1800's led to two clear systems being set up. In the
Anti - whaling.
Anti - whaling Commercial Whaling during the last century has decimated most of the worlds whale populations. Estimates suggest that between 1925, when the first whaling factory ship was introduced, and 1975, more than 1.5 million whales were killed. In 1946, the international whaling commission (IWC) was established. Accused of not being effective in its fight to protect whales, the commission banned whaling in 1986.Whaling nations that do not support this ban include Japan, Norway, Iceland and Greenland. New members of the IWC have caused controversy. Anti whaling groups have accused Japan of encouraging LEDC's to become members of the IWC in return for foreign aid. Environmental groups argue that new members feel obliged to vote in favour of Japan when decisions are being made. In order to make changes 73% of the members have to vote in favour of the proposed change. The more allies Japan and other whaling nations have in the IWC, the harder it is for the anti whaling movement. Whaling nations such as Norway and Japan state that it is vital to learn more about whales and that they therefore need to catch whales for study. They are accused of using this as an excuse. Many conservation groups argue that research can be carried out without harming the animals. Since 1987, Japan has conducted an annual whale hunt in the Antarctic under the guise of scientific whaling.
La mthode Monnet: What were the main driving forces behind the supranational integration of the Schuman Plan?
La méthode Monnet: What were the main driving forces behind the supranational integration of the Schuman Plan? Many consider Jean Monnet to be the founder of European unity. Born in Cognac in 1888 he became an established coordinator in international affairs during the two world wars. Yet it is the invention of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) for which he is best recognized. This was the first economic community to be set up in Europe, and was announced in 1950 by Robert Schuman, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time. It became known as the Schuman Declaration, and proposed the pooling of French and German resources of coal and steel under a 'High Authority', i.e. supranational integration on an economic basis. Dell believes that the plan was promoted as a first step towards a federal Europe1. Although it was really instigated by the French, there were four key players in the run up to the ECSC. France, Britain, the United States and Germany had been directly involved in the cataclysmic world wars of the twentieth century and had to deal with the aftermath. The Second World War was 'the most destructive conflict in human history... it caused the deaths of almost 60 million people2. Britain had been one of the chief powers in the Second World War, having declared war on Germany in 1939 with France. However after 1945 the continental countries of
The European Community is a group of twelve European countries that have joined together to form a market to compete economically with the United States, Japan, and other countries.
THE MOST SUCCESSFUL TRADING BLOC By: Jasmine Saleh Core 1 The European Community is a group of twelve European countries that have joined together to form a market to compete economically with the United States, Japan, and other countries. Throughout its successful history, the European Community is made three organizations, which are the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Atomic Energy Community, and the European Economic Community. It is the largest importer and exporter in the world. The citizens have the right to vote in European elections and live anywhere in the Community because of their citizenship in Europe. The European Community is the one of the most successful trading blocs. As France and West Germany took the first stage toward economic unity, they agreed to share their coal and steel resources in 1950. Soon, the other nations such as Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands participated with France and West Germany's agreement. These nations established the European Coal and Steel Community together. The European Coal and Steel Community was successful in the late 1950s, and the nations established two more organizations, which are the European Atomic Energy Community and the European Economic Community. The European Atomic Community allowed the nations to produce nuclear energy for peaceful uses. The European Economic Community
Is there still a role for NATO?
22nd November David Sheard Is there still a role for NATO? When NATO was founded in 1949, it had a clearly defined role. It was an alliance for collective security against the USSR and the Warsaw Pact, whereby if one member state was attacked, the rest would come to her aid under article 5. Since the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, however, the role of NATO has become a great deal less clearly defined, since its members no longer really have any need for a defensive alliance. Indeed, operations such as those in Bosnia and Kosovo have suggested that for from being a defensive alliance, NATO may have some kind of future as an offensive alliance. There are also now doubts, however, over whether the futures of Europe and the United States are bound together as they were during the Cold War, and many European countries now pursue radically different, more pacifistic foreign policies to that of America. Many people now fell, therefore, that NATO is nothing more than an anachronistic hangover from the Cold War with no real future. Others would say, however, that organisations such as NATO and the UN are still crucial in the modern world to ensure that countries do not act unilaterally, but co-operate with allies. It is first perhaps worth considering in what way NATO's role in the modern world is changing. As has already been said, NATO may
Using your own examples, discuss whether Nationalism (nation states) is a better way forward than super-nations.
Using your own examples, discuss whether Nationalism (nation states) is a better way forward than super-nations. Nationalism is the feeling that the people of a country all belong together and are different from the peoples of other countries. Examples of nationalism could be the break up of Yugoslavia from Russia, Scotland from England, otherwise stated as devolution. In exploring the term "nation states", we must take each word separately. A "nation" is a group of people whose members believe that the culture they share expressed through language, religion etc. binds them together in a way that makes them different and distinct from other peoples. A "state" may also be seen as a territory, controlled by a government. A nationalist believes that the peoples of the world are made up of distinct nations, each of which ought to have its own state. Therefore, ideally, all states should be "nation states". However, for most of history, this has certainly not been the case. The most powerful states up to now have been empires or kingdoms. An example of states coming together to form a nation state could be Italy, 1789 around the time of the French Revolution. For many years, Italy was divided into dozens of separate states. Italians did not think of themselves as Italians but as belonging to a city or region. However, around 1789 these separate states united together to form a
Describe the Growth OF European Unity from 1950-1957
Describe the Growth OF European Unity from 1950-1957 In 1950 the French foreign minister Robert Schumann came up with an idea he called this idea the Schumann plan. The outline of his plan was to improve Frances economy and security while also improving relations in Europe. West Germany was recovering from the war, with new leaders and a stabilising economy. Many people felt that a strong Germany may once again threaten peace within Europe, as Germany had now totally recovered with thanks to US for a large amount of Marshall aid money received, but Marshall aid also helped relations between countries in Europe as it meant they had to cooperate with one and other. Schumann believed French security could be achieved by creating a common market in coal and steel, this meant they could monitor the German's activity and see if they were building tanks and munitions with their steel. This plan was put into action in 1951 when the leaders of France, West Germany, Italy and Benelux, who had shown how well trade links could work with the success they shared between them (Britain was invited but opted out) all met in Paris to put the Schuman plan into action. By 1952 there was a common market in coal, iron ore and steel between the six countries. This also improved both countries relations and economies as they had to work together with France having the iron ore and Germany the coal.
The Maastricht Treaty
The Maastricht Treaty The Maastricht Summit, held in December 1991, was inevitably, in my opinion, the most important step in the process of moving towards a united Europe. The Maastricht treaty was also known as the Treaty of the European Union because many people believed that this treaty was the one that would change Europe drastically. Evidence of this was infact included within the treaty:- "This Treaty marks a new stage in the process of creating an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe..." The summit's purpose was to lay the foundations for more radical moves towards a federal style union that would subsequently, follow later in the decade. Though, I believe that the national 'Press' of each member state of the European Union, were somewhat exaggerating the aims of the summit and this as a result, forced the leaders of member states to think about the move very seriously. Now, the main aim of the summit was to fix a definite date for the achievement of a single exchange rate. The French, along with the Germans were very keen to set an irreversible date for the introduction of a single currency. This is, of course, known as the 'Euro' today. My theory to all of the enthusiasm of the French and German government is one of this. Germany was rather apprehensive about the whole idea of a single currency at first. I believe that as the French government
The Composition and Role of the Institutions of the European Union
The Composition and Role of the Institutions of the European Union The Commission Composition * 20 commissioners - two from each of the larger member states (UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain) - one from each of the smaller. * UK commissioners are Neil Kinnock from Labour and Chris Pattern from Conservative. * The term of office is 5 years. * Governments appoint the president after consultation with the European Parliament - The current president is Romano Prodi. * The European Parliament has a veto over the appointment of the members. * It is a supra national body - membership of that body are independent of their country, they are concerned with promoting the European Union. * Each commissioner, like a government minister, has an individual portfolio and has a department of the European Civil Service working for them. Role * Key role - to propose legislation to be approved by the council of ministers. * Responsible for ensuring the proper functioning and development of the European Union. * Negotiates on behalf of the union in the field of external trade, e.g. Oil. Council of Ministers Composition * Non - permanent body * Each government of the 15 member states has one representative on the council. * Its composition varies according to the subject under discussion, the appropriate minister will attend for each topic. Role * Key Role - to vote
‘The main democratic deficit in the European Union is psychological, not institutional.’ Discuss.
'The main democratic deficit in the European Union is psychological, not institutional.' Discuss. The term 'democratic deficit' refers to the creation and development of the EU without the direct involvement of the citizens. This is a term spawned from the Western understanding of democracy and legitimacy, concepts that the EU is said to infringe. Democracy and legitimacy are contentious concepts themselves. Democracy is, according to Brigid Laffin (1999) 'a set of ideals about the exercise of political authority'. In Western society representative democracy is predominant. People are able to choose between different parties at elections, which compete on a near or equal basis, to form the next Government. This Government will govern in accordance with the people's wishes, remaining accountable to an elected assembly. The European Union is said to lack these features of choice, competition, elections and accountability which gives rise to the issue of a 'democratic deficit.' Legitimacy is defined simply as the right to govern. Western Governments are installed by means of elections, indicating public acceptance of their presence and a representation of their will. Dogan (1992) offered the following definition 'people hold the belief, that ... institutions are appropriate or morally proper'. The EU however, as I will explain later is indirectly elected and does not conform
