Major Nation-States in the European Union (Paperback)

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Product Description

Integrating the study of individual European nation-states within the framework of the European Union, this unique new text is essentially two books in one: a book on the EU and a comparative introduction to European politics. This text provides more value to students by combining two texts in one, but engages student interest and facilitates learning through a variety of useful features. Role-playing exercises encourage participation and test students' critical thinking skills, while an emphasis on the people behind the politics "humanizes" material and provides lively insights into contemporary European politics and society. To ensure student understanding, there is extensive material comparing and contrasting EU states to one another and to the United States, a thorough glossary at the end of the book, and an abundance of examples, tables, charts, and graphs to illustrate and extend the discussions.

Product Details

• Paperback: 412 pages
• Publisher: Longman; illustrated edition edition (December 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321106423
• ISBN-13: 978-0321106421
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #927,697 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful intoduction to EU States, February 15, 2005

By	P. Nagy "revreader" (Chapel Hill, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Major Nation-States in the European Union by J. Richard Piper (Longman) The Major Nation-States in the European Union is a text designed primarily for American students in political science, history, economics, or general social science courses who are eager to learn about the European Union (EU) and the major nation-states that are its members: France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Spain. Unlike most other texts on contemporary Europe, it aims to integrate fully analyses of the European Union with those of its major component states rather than focusing primar¬ily either on the EU or on the nation-states.
This book comes into print at a time when the European Union is undergoing major transformations, with a newly proposed consti¬tution under debate and ten new member states having just joined the EU on May 1, 2004, bringing its membership overnight to 25 states from 15. It also comes into print at a time when the transatlantic partnership between Europe and the United States is undergoing new strains, reflected in the recent Iraq War but also present on a variety of worldwide issues includ¬ing global warming, the International Criminal Court, and trade.
Against the backdrop of these exciting de¬velopments, this book aims to provide students with an understanding of the historical back-ground, institutions, leaders, and participatorystructures and processes that shape contempo¬rary Europe and its relations with the United States and the rest of the world. The text is or¬ganized into three parts and 16 chapters, with an appendix that highlights active learning possibilities through a European Union simu¬lation. The first part of the book, focused on the European Union, provides an introductory overview (Chapter One), followed by chapters on the historical development (Chapter Two), current institutions and leaders (Chapter Three), and public policies (Chapter Four) of the EU. The second part of the book empha¬sizes the five major nation-states of the pre-2004 European Union: France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Spain. For each of these nation-states, an initial chapter discusses the development, governmental insti¬tutions, and participatory structures and processes of the country in question; a second chapter on each nation-state emphasizes the relationship between that country and the European Union. The third and final part of the book provides in Chapter Fifteen a com¬parative overview of all 15 states that were members of the EU before 2004, placing the five major states in a broad comparative con-text and enabling readers to gain an under-standing of the importance of the smaller member states of the EU also. Chapter Sixteen emphasizes Poland as the newest major nation-state in the European Union, in the context of discussing the dramatic eastward expansion of the EU and the possible future roles of Turkey and Russia vis-à-vis the EU. Finally, the ap¬pendix offers suggestions concerning active learning through a simulation of the European Union and its major nation-states.
Among the unique features of this book are its readability; its frequent highlighting of quotations to humanize the text, and its "People in the EU" boxes on prominent Europeans and their contributions. To enhance accessibility for students who may be unfamiliar with certain European or social-science terms, key concepts appear in bold print on first usage and are de-fined clearly in the Glossary beginning on page 384. Each chapter begins with a quotation per¬taining to its main themes, and several key quotations are highlighted to add a human dimension. The "People in the EU" boxes, accompanied in most cases by pictures, bring home to students the special impact of such European leaders as Margaret Thatcher, the British prime minister who presaged a movement toward free markets in both Europe and the United States; Jean-Marie Le Pen, the French nationalist who shook up French and European politics by coming in second in the French presidential elec¬tion of 2003; and Romano Prodi, the former Italian prime minister who became president of the European Commission during a time of unusual turbulence.