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Comparative Imperialism and European Disintegration

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European Disintegration

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics ((PSEUP))

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Abstract

Empires are a forgotten conceptual category in political studies. However, comparative analysis of the manifold failed empires of the past can offer a fruitful insight into a disintegrating EU, if it sufficiently resembles an ideal-type empire. And, with its unequal and asymmetric relationships between the centre and the peripheries in a radial pattern, ranging from the Eurozone, member states with opt-outs, candidates, and neighbouring countries, it does. The export of rules via enlargement and neighbourhood policies reflects the EU’s expansive nature, making its boundaries unstable. Similar to other examples of empires, the byzantine EU centre exerts control both in foreign and domestic politics of its peripheries. Even though explanations of disintegrating empires can be applied to the EU, their application appears to be problematic in that they provide a long list of potential disintegrative factors without revealing the way in which the factors are interconnected in the process of disintegration.

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  1. Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Hans Vollaard

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Vollaard, H. (2018). Comparative Imperialism and European Disintegration. In: European Disintegration. Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-41465-6_5

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