Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. As concerns the object of study in the present essay, the EU, it is not only relevant to assess its impacts and influences in its direct neighbourhood and in the ‘wider Europe’, it must also be relevant to clarify whether the EU is able to exert influence in Chinese textile mills or in war-torn Sudanese villages. The EU’s Foreign, Security, and Defence Policies. (2000). Steam, smoke, factories, noise – all announced the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. In fact, energy from renewable sources has almost doubled its share in gross final energy consumption in recent years, as the chart below illustrates. 435-453. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Railways, electricity, cinema, photography and new theories in science and medicine affirmed Europe’s leading role in this technological coming of age. A Political Biography. To receive the latest content and events on the areas that interest you. Industrialisation expanded and long-distance travel became possible across all social classes. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. When the Union has agreed on a common stance, it is a powerful negotiator, whether bilaterally towards other countries, regionally towards other organizations (as with ASEAN, the Association of  South-East Asian Nations) or in international fora like the WTO. It then explains how regulation has become a key tool to advance European integration, giving these institutions a powerful motivation to pursue an ambitious regulatory agenda. And also in not fully communautarised policy issues such as environmental policy is the EU highly effective in declaring targets and thus taking a lead in the formulation of policy goals. Great Britain, ca. Undersea cables made communication global. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, late 19th century 1850 Europe as Empire. The European Union (EU) has been called an potential superpower by scholars and academics like T. R. Reid, Andrew Reding, Andrew Moravcsik, Mark Leonard, Jeremy Rifkin, John McCormick and some politicians such as Romano Prodi and Tony Blair. EU transport policy is designed to encourage clean, safe and efficient travel throughout Europe. The 19th century was a revolutionary period for European history and a time of great transformation in all spheres of life. Please check the URL you entered, or try using the menu navigation or the options below to find what you are looking for. © European Union 2016 / House of European History, Brussels, Belgium, Europe and Japan carve up China Castan’s Panopticon Existing political systems were undermined as the ideals of ‘freedom, equality and fraternity’ swept across the continent. London, Great Britain, ca. As the chart below shows, nearly 7 out of 10 e-buyers have had no problems buying or ordering goods or services. The French Revolution of 1789 was a turning point in European history. As the EU lacks all those features, it was and still is generally not regarded as a ‘global power’: its internal division over the United States’ plan of intervening in Iraq and its lack of a coherent and effective policy during the deteriorating war in the Balkans were and are generally cited as the most prominent examples of what was and is depicted as a rather weak standing of the EU in the global game of power politics. It is only in recent years that an increasing number of academics have emphasized the unique tools it holds to influence international relations. Professor of Political Science, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri. One important type of soft power … Within Europe itself, certain peoples were regarded as being racially ‘less evolved’ than others. The European Security Strategy: Changing the Global Security Environment? (The United Kingdom had been invited to join the ECSC and in 1955 sent a representative to observe discussions about its ongoing development, but the Labour government of Clement Attlee declined membership, owing perhaps to a variety of factors, including the illness of key ministers, a desire to maintain economic independence, and a failure to grasp the community’s impending significance.) the EU’s use of soft power (incentives, prospect of membership) and its character as a civilian or even normative power attracting and influencing other policy actors because of its constant implementation of its underlying values and norms.