Beteen Yesterday and Tomorro German Visions of Europe, 1926-1950 [Hardcover]

An intellectual and cultural history of mid-twentieth century plans for European integration, this book calls into question the usual pre- and post-war periodizations that have structured approaches to twentieth-century European history. It focuses not simply on the ideas of leading politicians but analyses debates about Europe in civil society and the party-political sphere in Germany, asking if, and how, a permissive consensus was formed around the issue of integration. Taking Germany as its case study, the book offers context to the post-war debates, analysing the continuities that existed between interwar and post-war plans for European integration. It draws attention to the abiding scepticism of democracy displayed by many advocates of integration, indeed suggesting that groups across the ideological spectrum converged around support for European integration as a way of constraining the practice of democracy within nation-states.

Bailey's approach adds a thorough analysis of journals, clubs, and organizations that functioned as important intermediaries between the private and public spheres&his refreshing, well-written, and convincingly argued intellectual history complements traditional historiography.? Choice

Baileys book opens long-term perspectives, and offers a thorough analysis of selected non-dominant ideas about Europe in Germany in the 1940s and 1950s.? European History Quarterly

The great merit of Baileys study is that he has recovered the pre-1945 Central European foundations of a European integration process that has too often been conceived as a purely post-1945 West European development. It represents a significant contribution to the intellectual history of twentieth-century Europe and should be read by anyone interested in the genesis of the European Union.? Journal of European Studies

In his fascinating political history of ls„