European politics Tim Bale

Contents

List of illustrative material \ ix

 

List of abbreviations and acronyms \ xiii

Introduction xvii

 

Why European politics? ixvii

 

Why this book? xviii

 

Keeping it real - and up to date ? xix

 

Where is it going? , xxi

 

Getting started |xxii

1 Europe: a continent in the making

 

People into empires

 

Empires into nations j

 

Nations into states States into blocs The new Europe

 

Europe’s economy: rich in variation Society: class and gender still matter In theory if not in practice: religion in Europe

 

Composition and identity: multiethnic,;

 

multinational — and European? Learning resources Executive summary

 

2 The end of the nation state? Federalism, devolution and the European Union

 

Stateless nations

 

Belgium: federal solution or slippery slope?

 

‘Asymmetrical’ federalism: Spain The UK: another hybrid France: no longer quite so indivisible j The European Union and the end of sovereignty?

 

Origins and enlargement Increasing integration and institutional reform ,

 

Integration via economics: EMU Integration by law An EU constitution?

 

The end of the nation state?

 

Learning resources Executive summary