The European Union is today a Community of States. Though the present 27 States members are not as homogeneuous as they aparently appear. On the one hand we have a Europe of regions, and on the other in some of these regions a large part of the population would like to become an independent state, as we see in the following map of European separatisms.
After the disappearance of the Universal model in the European continent, especially after 1648 we face a Europe of States. The consequence was a constant quarreling for hegemony for almost 300 years. Up to 1945.
But on the other hand it is true that States did not appear overnight. They are the result of a long integration process, in which kings incorporated by wars or marriages as much territories to their realms as they could. In order to be more powerful states in European history have always tried to expand territorially. But one thing was to incorporate territories and another to integrate them into a larger political unit. This models of integration are interesting as they were clear precedents of European integration, before Communitarian Europe.
We will examine today in Teaching Guide 8 some of them.
The oldest model of integration was the Composite monarchy. This occurs when a king becomes simultaneously the monarch of different kingdoms. This does not mean however full unification as in Composite monarchies every member kingdom keep its constitutional status intact. Their own political institutions (Assembly of States) their own law and courts. And also, usually, a customs barrier protection. We will study two actual states that followed the way of the Composite monarchies: Spain and the UK.
Spain
Spain is not a completely unified state because historically, as a result of the Reconquest, that is the fight against the muslims to retrieve the peninsular territory. As it lasted from 711 to 1492 the result was that the unity of the visigothic kingdom of Toledo disappeared replaced by different kingdoms or territories that were separate political units once.
From 1492 to the present Spain has not ended up becoming an unifeied state. And this is why the 1978 Constitution have created Spain as the State of the Autonomies as you can see in the following map. .
Concerning Spain bear in mind that the Catholic Kings (1474-1504) did not integrate Castile and Aragon. The Crown of Castile was a unified state and the Crown of Aragon a Composite monarchy. Isabel and Fernando did not unify their Spanish domains.
And neither did their grandson Carlos I (V). Castile was a consolidated State and the Crown of Aragon was not. This is why in the Catholic Composite Monarchy that was the result of the joining of Castile and Aragon, Castile ended being dominant. And the common language was Castilian.
.jpg)
We have to wait until the Spanish Succession War (1704-1715) and the defeat of Aragon, Valencia, Aragon and Mallorca to have these kingdoms integrated and unified in Castile (Decretos de Nueva Planta). As Navarre and the Basqs provinces had not rebelled against Philip V, they kept their own separate constitutional and legal frame. At least until the Carlists wars in the 19th century. Then Navarre (1841) and Alava, Guipúzcoa and Vizcaya (1876) got integrated as well in the Spanish State.
Spain became more or less an integrated state along the 19th century. In 1833, Javier de Burgos, a Minister from the Regency of Maria Cristina divided Spain in provinces that stil today exist.
But the tradition of the Composite monarchy did not disappear and Spain is not today a completely unified state as the independentists movements of Catalonia and the Basq country shows. Territories that want to become a new state not only with parts of Spain, but also from France and Italy in the cas of Cataluña
And including France in the case of the Basq provinces:
The conclusion is that the composite monarchy model is not fully operative in terms of constructing a strong and unified state. Another example of this is the United Kingdom.
The UK
Antoher interesting Composite monarchy is the UK. England integrated Wales in the 16th century and Scotland in the 17th-18th centuries, forming the United Kingdom with the Union Jack. And Ireland from 1800 to 1922.
But the union is not as solid as it appears. Ireland became in the 20th century an independent State (with the exception of Northern Ireland). Nevertheless both territories are not completely unified with England, as from 1998 they have their own parliaments and governments. And Scotland even tried to secede through the 2014 referendum.
But Scotland has since 1998 its own Parliament and itis own government, and many scottish want to be independent from the UK, though the referendum of 2014 failed.
Also in 1998 Northern Ireland, as a result of the Belfast Agreement, intended to bring together the two communities (nationalists and unionists), was created the Northern Ireland Assembly in Stormont Belfast and a Northern Ireland Executive.
It is interestiung that Scotland and Northern Ireland citizens were not happy with the Brexit as they prefer to remain in the EU. The Northern Irish requiered a special status concerning customs with the Eu as a result of Brexit: the Northern Ireland Protocol or Backstop.
Again in the case of the UK, the Composite monarchy system does not guarantee a strong unified State.
The Swiss Confederation
A stronger union than the Composite Monarchy is the Confederation formula. This formula of Confederation was the first system of integration in the United States, from 1777 to 1787, before the establishment of the Federal Union which we will see in TG 9. And during the American Civil War (1861-1865) the Southern States seceded and formed a new Confederation.
But the idea of a Confederation is not American it appeared in Europe. And more concretely in Switzerland The origins of the Swiss Confederation, get back to the Rutli Oath in 1291 and receive full international recognition in the Peace of Westphalia.
Nevertheless it is not not a powerful way of integration. In fact it gives an extremely decentralized model of integration. This is why in the Helvetic Confederation the 26 cantons have more power than the federal government in Bern. Even today. A Confederation is therefore a quite weak form of integration.
Integrating politically the European states was an impossible task in the 19th century. But sometimes the political or economic needs forced some states to get together developing ways of partial integration. It was the case of the Metternich System based in the Holy Alliance of 1815, that disappeared completely in 1848. And the very interesting customs union of the German States headed by Prussia in the Zollverein, created in 1818 and consolidated by 1834. An important precedent of the present Communitarian Europe.
INSTRUCTIONS: First read the text included in your Materials (pages 191 to 203), before proceeding to answer the Concrete Questions, the Concepts and the General Questions.
Concerning the Basic Chronology (pages 205-209) the crucial dates are the following:
Survival of the Universal Model:
800, 962, 1804, 1806, 1852-1870, 1871-1918 and 1933-1945.
Crown of Aragon:
1137, 1164-1196, 1276, 1283, 1349, 1442, 1474-1504 (Catholic kings), 1517-1556 (Carlos I), 1707-1716 (Nueva Planta Decrees), 1841 (Navarra Ley Paccionada), 1876 (Full integration of Basq Provinces), 18178 (Concierto económico), 1931 (Estado integral), 1978 (Estado de las autonomías).
The United Kingdom:
1535-1542 (Integration of Wales), 1603, 1707, 1800-1922 (Irish integration in the UK), 1997 and 2014, September 18.
Swiss Confederation:
1291, 1648 , 1848.
Holy Alliance:
1815-1848
Zollverein:
1818, 1834.
TOPIC FOR DISCUSSION IN CLASS: Advantages and disadvantages of unified and decentralized states?
Please consider the following aspects:
1. Think of the “España de las Autonomías”. Consider the positive aspects of this extreme decentralized system and the inconveniences. For instance looking at how Spain faced the Covid pandemic. Do you find fair that the citizens of the Basks provinces and from Navarre pay less taxes that the rest of Spaniards? Do you think a common education and language should be guaranteed everywhere in the State?
2. Compare with the most centralized state in the world: France. Do you think education, taxing, Social Security, Courts and Law should be the same for every one? Responding to the idea that all citizens should be equal before the law?
3. Consider what is the ethnic background of Ukrainian present State that has led to Putin's invasion. You can inspire yourself in the following map of the languages spoken in Ukraine.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario