Book Review: A Diplomatic History of Europe since the Congress of Vienna, the Choice before Europe, towards a European Parliament, Economic Theory and Western European Integration, Disengagement in Europe, N.A.T.O. and the Future of Europe
| Date | 01 October 1959 |
| DOI | 10.1177/004711785900101206 |
| Published date | 01 October 1959 |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
building of houses for workers in the said industries.
In sum avarying scene
of
international activity in the financial field.
Mr. Salmon's book gives an accurate picture
of
this development in its
technical aspects, studying in particular the various legal problems to
which it gives rise in the domains
of
the (dual) legal personality
of
the
org:misations concerned, their competence ratione materia! as well as ratione
persona!. the negotiation
of
the loan contracts (Part II) and the guarantees
for their performance (Part III). J. H. W. Verzijl.
ADiplomatic History of Europe since the Congress
of
Vienna. Rene Albrecht
Carrie. Methuen. 45/-.
The Choice before Europe. Marshal
luin
and Henri Massis. Translated
by
E.
M. Wilkinson. Eyre and Spolliswoode. 12/6.
Towards aEuropean Parliament. Kenneth Lindsay. Secretariat
of
the Council
of
Europe. London, H.M.S.O.
7/6.
Economic Theory and Western European Integration. Tibor Scitovsky.
AI/en
and Unwin. 16/-.
Disengagement
in
Europe. Michael Howard. Penguin. 2/6.
N.A.T.O. and the Future
of
Europe. Ben T. Moore. Oxford University
Press
for the Council
on
Foreign Relations. 36/-.
This group
of
books,
of
uneven value, serve together to illuminate not only the
potentialities and the difficulties inherent in the concept
of
an integrated united
Europe, but also the widely divergent ideas which would have, somehow to
be
reconciled if such ascheme
is
to become reality.
It
is
comparatively easy to
prove theoretically on the statistical, factual, logical. legal and economic
levels
that the advantages
of
such an integration would far outweigh the disadvantages,
but since men are
not"
reasonable
animals"
and since some
of
the effects
of
an
attempt at, say, economic integration are bound to
be
extremely and unavoidably
unpleasant,
at
least for certain specialised
groups-as
witness the present
dispute over closing uneconomic pits in Belgium, adispute which could
as
easily be transferred to the agricultural sphere in France and the
Netherlands~
such demonstrations carry, unfortunately, not as much political weight as the
essential soundness
of
their conclusions would entitle them to. Public opinion
normally embraces most warmly those suggestions for sinking individual national
interests
in
alarger grouping, whose implications the man in the street does not
fully grasp. When these implications begin to become clear they are
ap~
to
arouse quite unexpectedly deeply rooted emotional reactions, as
well
as reactions
based on considerations
of
immediate personal welfare.
It
can perhaps
be
said that, at this stage, European integration
is
aplant
th:
t
grows best
in
the semi-dark which to Mr. Kenneth Lindsay's regret shrouds t e
activities
of
the Council
of
Europe at Strasbourg from the vulgar gaze. When
the
glare
of
full publicity finally beats upon
it it
may be found
to
have become
tO~
deeply rooted to be readily dislodged, and to have established an influence
nO
easily disregarded. I
The title
of
the first book
is
rather misleading. Professor Carrie does n?t
.d.
ea
primarily with the aims and machinations
of
foreign offices and the
actlV1tlfs.
triumphs and defeats
of
diplomats, with the crises leading to war and the cone
.u-
sion
of
treaties
of
peace. Far from concentrating on the intricacies
of
negotia-
tion and the precise meaning and effects
of
agreements-subjects
whic~
ar~
traditionally the content
of
diplomatic
history-he
deals with
internatJO~a
relations in the widest sense, including economic developments,
pOPulatl~n
changes and the history
of
warfare, since the Congress
of
Vienna
in
1815. n
the latter half
of
the book, devoted to the years from 1914 onward, he goes
fur~er,
for he pays as much attention to world affairs as to those
of
Europe.
~e
oe}
not go into any great detail over the differing procedures and organisatJo
ns
rI
the great Peace Conferences, as one might expect. The book gives acare.ud
well-balanced and sensible account written from the American angle
of
the peno
covered, with Britain regarded throughout as part
of
Europe.
642
To continue reading
Request your trial