Perspectives of European Unity

Introduction

When it comes to Europe, finding the proper response has never been straightforward. Since
antiquity, the land and its concepts have been marked by uncertainty and opposing viewpoints
making it difficult to establish a distinctive European identity. Nevertheless, the main goal was to
create efficient cooperation between states to avoid conflicts and bring balance and prosperity to
the area. Such eutopia represents a constant even today.

The origin of the name is limited by the lack of clear information provided. As a result, Europe's
mythological beginnings could be "evening land"/"the dark-looking one" in archaic Greek. As
for the boundaries, the non-existing expeditions in the Nord of Egypt made it not possible to
determine civilization in the area.

A distinct government and culture defined the Greek authors. In the geographical context, their
city-state Athens was the fundamental element of Greek freedom, contradicting the latter
pointing to the Persian Empire's expansion in Asia. The Asian administration was defined by an
absolute ruler with lacking respect for God and Law, marking the difference between the two
continents as an opposition between freedom and nepotism. The Greek Hippocrates sustained
that their main problem was the lack of change, referring to their climate. Their lack of freedom
was the result of their aims: protecting and glorifying their rulers rather than themselves.
However, Aristotle argued, on the basis pf the climate, European people were brave but not
particularly skilled or wise, independent but unable to rule others and the revers contrarywise to
Asian people who could do what Europeans could not do. Thus, the Greek philosopher brings
balance between the two continents with his thesis. The Greeks slowly developed a feeling of
superiority due to their best political institutions, as mentioned by Aristotle, becoming also
influential in West Europe and its Hellenization in the Est was defined by the acceptance of
Greek terms to communicate.

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Eratosthenes, the father of geography and a Greek polymath, introduced various discoveries to
the world. From a geographical standpoint, he provided precise calculations of the earth's
circumference. In Geographica, he provided an account of the world but omitted a concrete
depiction of Europe and the northern territories. Strabo, a Greek philosopher whose worldview
was potentially influenced by the Roman Empire, later condemned his construct. He based his
writings on prior references from explorers who visited the areas; also, given the Roman
Empire's growth and development, he was able to contribute specific knowledge to his research.
He additionally sustained that Europe had plenty of benefits to offer, putting peace under the
spotlight.

The Roman expansion was not enough for Pliny to represent a European expansion. A Roman
scholar, who in his creation, “Natural History,” stated his devotion to Europe and expressed
confusion regarding Hippocrates studies.

The map of Europe eventually becomes devoid of geographical information. However, in terms
of social and spiritual development, Christendom spread across the continent. Canon Lambert
contended that there was no relationship between the land and religion because it was not a top
concern. Ptolemy's geographical writings were rediscovered in the 14th century, and maps were
created using his data. Its usage became common in the 15th century, and it had a significant
impact on the Medieval worldview. Andreas Walsperger build the "Weltkarte" in 1448, which
portrayed a miniature representation of Europe and pinpointed minor Christian communities on
the map. The modern concept of Europe was related to Christendom, its central figure was the
Pope, whose role as a defendant increased due to the threats from the Turks. Pius the Second,
head of the crusading army, was the first person to use the adjective “europeus.”

In the late 14th century solidarity in Europe started expanding as a response to Humanism.
Desiderius Erasmus was convinced that Christianity knew no difference and believed in unity
based on religion rather than geography. The need for peace between nations was necessary
“How very wrong this is! A geographical name divides them....” Juan Luis Vives also believed
in one and only Europe, having a religious influence in his claim. Nonetheless, in the 16 th
century, many factors influenced the idea of a European union. Religion becomes again a key
factor as it caused major divisions between people. In this respect, the Protestant Reformation
brought significant changes.

The French Revolution was a significant event that left a lasting impact on Europe. It is
undeniable that the concept of Human Rights began to gain traction in France, and in 1879, the
Declaration of the Rights of Man was issued, stating that "men are born free and with equal
rights and remain so." Contrary to the aims of the revolution, terror replaced what was supposed
to be social progress. The European Community notion spread throughout Europe.
Retrospectively to the revolution, those who tried to oppose started to clearly develop the idea of
Europe and the European community, the continent is once again considered one unity as there
are similarities in the origins and development. For instance, Edmund Burkle considers Europe
as one homeland: “...no citizens of Europe could be altogether an exile in any part of it....”

The French expansion under Napoleon brought ideas and administrative organs that sustained
coherence and uniformity in the continent. However, the Napoleonian idea of union deviated,
and the concept of Balance of Power entered into force. He dreamed about one Europe with the
same politics and economy.

Its main purpose was to unite all of Europe under the leadership of the ancient legitimate
monarchs, as happened during the Middle Ages, but no state could gain supremacy over the
other efficiently. The nostalgic yearning for the Middle Ages began to permeate throughout
Europe, with people desiring religious harmony and healing.

In the nineteenth century, there was a concept of Europe based on an examination of European
origins, but the perspective was medieval. In other words, for them, Europe was founded from
the fall of the Roman Empire, then guided by the Christian church, and lastly, atheism brought
destruction and revolution. What was taking place was the revival of the idea of Europe divided
into two perspectives: the Romantics were connected by Christendom, while the realist
conservatives backed a balance of powers.
The picture of the continent's historical growth was contradicted by opponents of the holy
alliance. Liberals distinguished between Western and Eastern Europe, and modernization was
defined by "constitutional v. absolutism government." According to Francois Guizot, a liberal
politician, European culture began with the decline of the Roman Empire and the birth of
Christendom. The diversity existing on the continent contributed to Europe's dominance. He also
saw the Glorious Revolution of 1688 as a step forward in the creation of a liberal Europe, with
freedom being a priority for humanity.

Before the First World War, one of the most important phases in the evolution of European
society was the adoption of social legislation by social democrats and reformist parties.
Throughout history, many have expressed a desire for a united Europe with no borders between
countries. For example, Stefan Zweig stated, “How useless, we said to ourselves, are frontiers
when any plane can fly over them with ease.” " However, as European cooperation crumbled due
to the war, nationalists saw an opportunity to purify nations and form a new spiritual community.

In his book "Mitteleuropa," Frederich Neumann believes that the Central European Community
of culture and politics can come back to life in a modern liberal democratic way thanks to
Germany, he was tolerant of minorities, and he believed in the young society. He thought that
only large-scale economic collaboration could achieve modernization. Unfortunately, he only
attained a possible political viewpoint, and nationalism would be a total threat.

T. G. Masaryk, like Neumann, attempted to confront the significant issues that were emerging in
Europe, with expediency and national interests and emphasized modernization, which he
believed was attainable via national self-fulfillment. He felt that the state ought to value the
person and promote national freedom. Notwithstanding this, he misjudged national tensions.

Paneuropa is the title of a book published in 1923 by Coudenhove-Kalergi. He maintained that

Aristide Brian was a French politician who contended that postwar Europeanism was shaped by
France and Germany. He supported the League of Nations, which helped to build the European
Common Market. In 1925, the concept of USE, or United States of Europe, was used to establish
federal links and common existence. The European Conference, which promotes international
collaboration, is the principal administrative entity.

Lastly, the results of the war encouraged people to embrace the concept of a federal Europe,
solidarity, and togetherness, notably among the European resistance movement.

Conclusion

European unity has always been an exceedingly difficult ambition. If there are conflicts, political
polarization, and ideological differences, there will be more than an effort to achieve what most
historians hoped for: international collaboration within European states. As can be seen, there
was rarely a balance between peace and conflict, which had an enormous impact on Europe and
its people.

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Strabo, Greek geographer of the 1st century BC. (n.d.).

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