http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/europe Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Sun, 03 May 2026 21:30:01 -0400 Sun, 03 May 2026 21:30:01 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1941/towards-a-new-consensus-the-post-centenary-historiography-on-the-origins-of-world-war-i By Arvand A.M. Fata - The causes of the First World War remains a historiographical topic of contention more than 100 years on from the start of the conflict. With the passing of the centenary in 2014, a new wave of publications has expanded the scope and depth of historians' investigations on the outbreak of the Great War. By reviewing the recent English-language literature and comparing the various approaches academics have taken to analyse the July Crisis, it is clear that we have entered a new historiographical 'phase:' a flourishing of theses and arguments which have followed from - yet remain distinct to - the... Fri, 25 Feb 2022 09:45 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1941/towards-a-new-consensus-the-post-centenary-historiography-on-the-origins-of-world-war-i http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1745/changes-in-estonian-defense-policy-following-episodes-of-russian-aggression By Benjamin Cooper - After joining the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 2004, Estonians felt secure and in charge of their future. However, following the 2007 Bronze Horseman incident in the Estonian capital of Tallinn which included riots incited by Russian disinformation as well as cyberattacks on the Estonian banking and government infrastructure, many in Estonia became cognizant of the need for the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF), NATO, and the EU to do more to combat the growing Russian threat. When Russia invaded Crimea in 2014, any Estonian illusions of a peaceful and mutually... Tue, 30 Oct 2018 09:29 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1745/changes-in-estonian-defense-policy-following-episodes-of-russian-aggression http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1740/explaining-the-rise-of-populism-in-poland-the-post-communist-transition-as-a-critical-juncture-and-origin-of-political-decay-in-poland By Phillip S. Swallow - The Polish populist Law and Justice Party (PiS) overturned the mainstream consensus in Polish politics by returning to power in 2015 with a populist platform, decrying a selfish elite and advancing policies that critics saw as illiberal and authoritarian. In response to the PiS’s policies, the European Commission took the extreme step of triggering Article 7, which could result in suspension of Poland’s voting rights, among other sanctions(Baume, 2017). How did things go so wrong? Poland was once the shining example of the EU’s eastward expansion. Donald Tusk, its former president... Sat, 07 Jul 2018 10:14 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1740/explaining-the-rise-of-populism-in-poland-the-post-communist-transition-as-a-critical-juncture-and-origin-of-political-decay-in-poland http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1669/cacao-cravings-europes-assimilation-and-europeanization-of-chocolate-drinking-from-mesoamerica-1492-1700-ce By James C. Miller - Chocolate is a foodstuff that many people in the modern world take for granted; the sweet treat can today be found plentifully and cheaply in practically any store all across the globe, especially in the Euro-American world. Despite its commonplace, most people do not know exactly where the addictive confection came from and how it became a near staple of industrialized, modern societies. Many in the ‘Western World’ would be surprised to learn the true origins of chocolate and how it first became a European craze. Chocolate was a confection made mostly from powder that originated from... Fri, 27 Oct 2017 12:08 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1669/cacao-cravings-europes-assimilation-and-europeanization-of-chocolate-drinking-from-mesoamerica-1492-1700-ce http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1645/nationalism-identity-and-public-policy-in-sweden-pursuing-an-elusive-national-identity By Gustaf Forsell - Similarly to many European countries, the Swedish population often perceive their history as an epoch of homogeneity: a time when every Swedish citizen was believed to have had the same ethnic phenotype, spoken the same language, believed in the same God, and shared the same basic values (Gardell, 2011, p. 23). It is embedded in the Swedish national identity, as if it is possible to explain lex naturalis. The notion is expressed on the well-recognised Swedish website Nationalencyklopedin (National Encyclopaedia of Sweden) which argues that Sweden has been ‘an immigration country’ (&... Thu, 01 Jun 2017 10:38 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1645/nationalism-identity-and-public-policy-in-sweden-pursuing-an-elusive-national-identity http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1438/still-cordiale-revisiting-the-entente-cordiale-in-the-context-of-european-security-and-brexit By Paul Hagan - When Britain and France signed what became known as the ‘Entente Cordiale' in 1904, it brought into being an era of mutual cooperation between two neighbours whose past had often made them the best of enemies. The partnership served and survived two World Wars, but when I examined it in its centenary year for this publication back in 2004, relations had frayed. The fog on the channel had been broughtabout by disagreements over the Iraq war and French designs on building a counterweight to the US. However it would seem that in the years since the US-led invasion of Iraq, it would seem that... Wed, 24 Aug 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1438/still-cordiale-revisiting-the-entente-cordiale-in-the-context-of-european-security-and-brexit http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1430/genealogy-of-a-crisis-europe-greece-and-the-management-of-the-refugee-population By Helen Makkas - As Europe’s frontier with the Muslim East, Greece has been cast as backward, and not worthy of full sovereignty since the earliest years of its independence from the Ottoman empire. Greece's contradictory position as guardian of the origins of European civilization, and now of Fortress Europe on the one hand, and as pariah on the other, informs the tension between Greece and the EU that unfolds in the management of the current refugee crisis.The designation and self-perception of Greece as a pariah state combined with the exposure of the hypocrisy of EU rights discourse produces a violent... Tue, 26 Jul 2016 07:25 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1430/genealogy-of-a-crisis-europe-greece-and-the-management-of-the-refugee-population http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1411/the-seeds-of-the-springtime-of-the-peoples-a-study-in-the-causes-of-the-revolutions-of-1848 By Saarang Narayan - Many historians point out that the Revolutions of 1848 were inspired by two other major events from the prior century: the French Revolution of 1789-1799 and the American Revolution of 1776. Seaman (1976) goes to the extent of arguing that all revolutions of the 19th century evolved from both these revolutions. He says that both of them taught two lessons to the people of Europe. The first was that any people could succeed in a revolution against their king. The second was that revolutions were the means to fulfill the dreams and desires of every nation. It must be noted, however, that he called... Wed, 25 May 2016 09:34 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1411/the-seeds-of-the-springtime-of-the-peoples-a-study-in-the-causes-of-the-revolutions-of-1848 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1581/let-them-export-cake-an-examination-of-the-role-of-economic-freedoms-in-fostering-intra-emu-export-growth By Paul Jeffries - This paper investigates the relationship between various types of economic freedom and intra-EMU export growth. Export growth is the primary empirical puzzle that this paper seeks to explicate, and is important because the EMU's inception preceded significant current account differentials that can mainly be attributed to changes in exports, as imports remained relatively constant. The independent variables – all types of economic freedom – were chosen in light of Cerny's theory of the "competition state," which highlights the importance of intra-state competition, theorizing that increased... Thu, 31 Dec 2015 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1581/let-them-export-cake-an-examination-of-the-role-of-economic-freedoms-in-fostering-intra-emu-export-growth http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1056/radical-populism-in-crisis-era-greece-examining-the-impact-of-populist-movements-on-greek-democracy By Tristan Smaldone - This study looks at populist movements in Greece that formed in reaction to the failures of elite statist politicians. Beginning with the 2008 student uprisings in Athens, this narrative follows the escalation of social and political activism as the country entered a period of economic crisis. The impact of austerity measures, imposed in 2010 and 2012 by the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission, and the European Central Bank, is examined in relation to the prevalence of social indignation and the development of nation-wide social solidarity networks. The role of the deficient Greek... Sat, 18 Jul 2015 05:42 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1056/radical-populism-in-crisis-era-greece-examining-the-impact-of-populist-movements-on-greek-democracy http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1045/the-development-of-the-printing-press-and-the-decline-of-the-chronicle-as-historical-method By Emily (Chavie) D. Sharfman - In his work The Idea of History, philosopher and historian Robin Collingwood outlines the development of historiography by leading his audience on a European cross-continental journey through time. He identifies the early modern period as a point at which there was a distinct change in historical writing. The Renaissance historians of this period brought about “a fresh reorientation of historical studies,” which manifested itself in a more narrative style of writing. The chronicles favored by medieval historians began to sharply decline.[1] Collingwood, along with other historians,[... Thu, 04 Jun 2015 09:04 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1045/the-development-of-the-printing-press-and-the-decline-of-the-chronicle-as-historical-method http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/936/the-evolution-of-human-rights-law-in-europe-comparing-the-european-court-of-human-rights-and-the-ecj-icj-and-icc By Donna V. Artusy - Human rights protection in Europe evolved significantly over the last century, culminating in the creation of the European Court of Human Rights. Unfortunately, the decisions made by the European Court of Human Rights are not binding and do not serve as precedent for future cases. The court has the potential to hold significantly greater influence over human rights protection, but its institutional structure and guiding doctrine (the European Convention on Human Rights) does not allow for this. Although the Court maintains jurisdiction over a smaller number of states, it has a more significant... Mon, 03 Nov 2014 03:49 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/936/the-evolution-of-human-rights-law-in-europe-comparing-the-european-court-of-human-rights-and-the-ecj-icj-and-icc http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1195/incentive-shock-or-neither-the-impact-of-croatian-accession-on-bosnias-eu-negotiations By Ryan Rosenberg - What are the prospects for European Union accession in Bosnia, a country with a legacy of ethnic conflict and malfunctioning democracy? How might the accession of Croatia to the European Union affect this process? This paper analyses the current state of Bosnian politics through the lens of EU accession and considers the political and economic impact of Croatian accession. A lack of incentive for Bosnian politicians to implement the governmental changes needed for Europeanization—the process of adopting European rules—has created a stagnant and intransigent political climate, one made... Sat, 01 Nov 2014 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1195/incentive-shock-or-neither-the-impact-of-croatian-accession-on-bosnias-eu-negotiations http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1672/the-spanish-financial-crisis-economic-reforms-and-the-export-led-recovery By David C. Wagner - Today, Spanish culture is first and foremost distinguished by its seventeen autonomous regions. During the evolution of civilization in the Iberian Peninsula, cities sprang up along the coastlines with little interaction. The Pyrenees mountain range isolated Spain from France to the north, other mountain ranges made for a natural border in the interior of Spain, and the sea served as a border from the exterior. Distinct cultures arose based on the various climates and inhabitants of the different cities, including a Catalán culture surrounding Barcelona in the northeast, a Gallego culture... Wed, 01 Oct 2014 12:13 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1672/the-spanish-financial-crisis-economic-reforms-and-the-export-led-recovery http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/899/the-british-blockade-during-world-war-i-the-weapon-of-deprivation By David A. Janicki - The First World War is largely thought of as a conflict where the majority of the significant operations took place almost exclusively on mainland Europe with the exception of a handful of naval clashes fought throughout the world's oceans. This is only partially true because while most of the fighting did take place on the continent, one of the largest and most sophisticated undertakings of the war was conducted mainly at sea. This operation was the British blockade from 1914-1919 which sought to obstruct Germany's ability to import goods, and thus in the most literal sense starve the German... Mon, 02 Jun 2014 06:12 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/899/the-british-blockade-during-world-war-i-the-weapon-of-deprivation http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1395/efficient-pricing-of-carbon-in-the-eu-and-its-effect-on-consumers By Michael Lee - A European single market for electricity is modeled to find the optimal portfolio of energy generation technologies in the presence of a carbon tax. The goal is to find the Pareto optimal carbon tax rate such that both carbon emissions and production costs are minimized. Different sources of electricity– namely coal, natural gas, nuclear, wind, offshore wind, and solar– are given levelized costs and carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) on a per megawatt-hour (MWh) basis. 20,000 energy portfolios, each with different allocations of the respective generation techniques, are generated via a... Tue, 15 Apr 2014 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1395/efficient-pricing-of-carbon-in-the-eu-and-its-effect-on-consumers http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/883/the-sovereignty-of-the-european-court-of-justice-and-the-eus-supranational-legal-system By Hakan Kolcak - The European legal system has been considered as either an intergovernmental legal system or a supranational one. The intergovernmental order, on the one hand, emphasises that the European Court of Justice should consider the preferences of member-state governments in its decision-making processes. The supranational order, on the other hand, underscores that European law generates its own legal system, therefore, the Court should rule its case law in pursuant of the primary and secondary resources of European law. In this article, it is argued that the European legal system may be recognised as... Fri, 04 Apr 2014 11:46 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/883/the-sovereignty-of-the-european-court-of-justice-and-the-eus-supranational-legal-system http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1084/creating-europe-the-discourse-of-civilisation By Benjamin Walton - Today political philosophy is generally conducted in the light of the perceived triumph of liberalism. That is, it typically proceeds from the assumption that it is unreasonable, if not irrational or pathological, to resist liberalism whether as a mode of thought or as a social order. Despite critics' repeated attempts to demonstrate the incoherence of liberal values, they appear to have stood the test of time - so much so, that the solutions to the world's pressing social problems are largely being conceived of within the parameters of a liberal world order .2 However , E. P. Thompson asks rhetorically... Wed, 01 Jan 2014 07:58 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1084/creating-europe-the-discourse-of-civilisation http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1086/the-interests-of-minority-and-majority-shareholders-in-the-eu By Angelika Gorak - The recent economic crisis roved to be immensely threatening to the economic equilibrium within the European Union (EU). Beginning in the United States, it then proved its "domino effect" by covering the EU, resulting in so-called 'financial stress' in all the Member States.1 In this context, some possible explanations for the crisis are worth mentioning: unsustainable macroeconomic inequalities , a lack of adequate policies preventing adventurous risk-t aking on the global scale,2 a complete failure in the system of global financial governance and its regulatory framework.3 Many of these explanations... Wed, 01 Jan 2014 07:58 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1086/the-interests-of-minority-and-majority-shareholders-in-the-eu http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1485/the-effects-of-the-us-pivot-to-asia-on-european-strategic-cooperation By Thomas Armstong - The current state of European strategic cooperation is optimistically described as "splintered" and pessimistically labeled as "nonexistent" by politicians and pundits alike. A potential retreat of the EU to staunch intergovernmentalism frustrates those who hoped Europe could reach its supranational potential to address global strategic challenges. The EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), its subsidiary Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP), the European Defense Agency (EDA), and the European External Action Service (EEAS) were all designed to address modern strategic challenges... Fri, 15 Nov 2013 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1485/the-effects-of-the-us-pivot-to-asia-on-european-strategic-cooperation http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1486/from-fighting-nazis-to-electing-nazis-the-rise-of-golden-dawn-in-greece By Mary Shiraef - The party argues that only those with Greek blood are truly Greek, a statement that moves Golden Dawn beyond the nationalistic character of Italian fascism and closer to the biological racism of the National Socialist party of Nazi Germany. Citing Isokrates' Panegyricus, Golden Dawn seek to deprive foreigners from learning Greek, and further assume an obligation on the part of the Greek people to immerse themselves in Greek culture.3 They say his definition, that ‘people are called Greeks because they share in our education (paideusis) rather than in our birth',4 was meant to be exclusive... Fri, 15 Nov 2013 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1486/from-fighting-nazis-to-electing-nazis-the-rise-of-golden-dawn-in-greece http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/773/is-the-european-commission-too-powerful-neofunctionalism-and-intergovernmentalism-considered By Andrei Constantin - This article highlights the European Commission’s role within the European Union (EU), which has been weakened over time. Through this essay various aspects of the Commission’s power in relation to the structure and procedures of comitology are analyzed utilizing the frameworks provided by the two leading schools of thought on European integration: neofunctionalism and liberal intergovernmentalism. The Commission is considered the heart of the process of integration because it is the key organisation whose formal powers and actual operation are believed to echo the patterns of integration... Thu, 17 Oct 2013 04:58 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/773/is-the-european-commission-too-powerful-neofunctionalism-and-intergovernmentalism-considered http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/754/assessing-the-eus-lisbon-strategy-failures-and-successes By Jiri Krcek - The quest for economic supremacy has been at the heart of the European integration process since its very inception. Tracing the historical origins of the economic progress agenda, Europe’s ambition to bolster its economy vis-à-vis its main competitors has traditionally rested on major projects, namely the foundation of the common market in the 1950s and 1960s, the Werner Plan in the 1970s, the Single European Market in the 1980s, and the Economic and Monetary Union in the 1990s (James 2012: 10). In March 2000, the European Council Summit in Lisbon marked yet another significant step... Tue, 03 Sep 2013 10:15 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/754/assessing-the-eus-lisbon-strategy-failures-and-successes http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/735/the-end-of-multiculturalism-immigration-and-integration-in-germany-and-the-united-kingdom By Laura Muchowiecka - Within a short span of time, immigration has become one of the major issues in the field of European politics and social discourse questioning the status quo of such conceptions as citizenship, nationhood and community cohesion. Migration within the borders of the European Union and above all external immigration has led to a phenomenon described as multiculturalism. As Elliot and Lemert suggest, the idea of multiculturalism, which has been recently proclaimed as a new model of not only modern neoliberal states such as Canada, Australia or the United States but also of countries in the Old Continent... Wed, 05 Jun 2013 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/735/the-end-of-multiculturalism-immigration-and-integration-in-germany-and-the-united-kingdom http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1612/turkenproblematik-2011-views-of-german-youth-towards-the-turkish-minority By Colin Benz - In the 1960s because of a stagnant economy, the Federal Republic of Germany (hereinafter as West Germany) invited Turks to Germany to work as "guest workers" (Legge 2003, 142). They were to work there for two years and then return to their homeland, but many of the "guest workers" stayed and brought their families. In 1960, there were less than 2,000 Turks in Germany (Die Zeit, March 24, 2004). The increase of immigrants into Germany has been accompanied by an increase in tensions between the German majority and the Turkish minority (Suddeutsche Zeitung, March 26, 2010). Today, there are an estimated... Mon, 31 Dec 2012 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1612/turkenproblematik-2011-views-of-german-youth-towards-the-turkish-minority http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1616/tested-and-found-wanting-a-quantitative-analysis-of-legal-integration-in-the-member-states-of-the-2004-european-union-enlargement By Leigh Maltby - The subject of European legal integration entered the spotlight of interdisciplinary studies in the mid-1990s and has continued to maintain, if not increase, its prominence in scholarly literature (Mattli and Slaughter, 1998, 177-178). As Egan, Nugent and Paterson indicate, "Not only have different disciplines cast light on different aspects of the integration process and of the EU but so has there been a mushrooming of varying approaches to EU studies within disciplines" (Egan, Nugent and Paterson, 2010, 1-13). Scholars using a variety methods conclude that European legal integration would not... Mon, 31 Dec 2012 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1616/tested-and-found-wanting-a-quantitative-analysis-of-legal-integration-in-the-member-states-of-the-2004-european-union-enlargement http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/647/european-union-citizenship-more-than-merely-financial-integration By Adam M. Waite - Firstly we will examine the concept and the evolution of European Union Citizenship as both a theory and as a reality for the nationals of member states. Although the concept of citizenship within the European Union has been part of the landscape of Europe for many decades, as Williams tells us, ‘it is still a struggle to obtain a comprehensible outline of what it means and how it is designed to develop’[1] it was not formally introduced and added to the EC Treaty until the Treaty on European Union in 1992 where under Art. 20(1) TFEU the principle of ‘Citizenship of the Union... Fri, 25 May 2012 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/647/european-union-citizenship-more-than-merely-financial-integration http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/624/dissent-protest-and-revolution-the-new-europe-in-crisis By Andrew R. Myers - The understanding of the political landscapes of current times varies widely in form and content. Some assure the larger community that threats of collapse are fear mongering in form and invalid in content. Others see a changing western world and radical departure in the ideologies of its inhabitants. Though this paper takes a negative view of the prospects for a stable, peaceful future, the tone only remains negative to expose the meaning of current events, to encapsulate the “vague” calls and attitudes of a movement protesting the current global situation. Europe, though perhaps... Mon, 19 Mar 2012 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/624/dissent-protest-and-revolution-the-new-europe-in-crisis http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/607/trading-for-membership-effects-of-eu-candidacy-on-trade-openness-and-gdp-per-capita-in-countries-seeking-membership By Constantine J. Petallides - Since the data from Lars and University of Pennsylvania confirm that candidates trade more than they would normally with the EU, the next question becomes: why? Using “data on sovereign debt instruments from thirty-four emerging markets,”[4] Julia Gray determined that “EU candidacy leads to a decrease in perceived default risk, while EU entry decreases the variance of risk levels,”[5] attracting more foreign investment from international agents. To paraphrase, Gray found that when a smaller nation joins a political and economic union, investors are less worried that the... Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:03 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/607/trading-for-membership-effects-of-eu-candidacy-on-trade-openness-and-gdp-per-capita-in-countries-seeking-membership http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1064/how-will-the-crisis-in-the-european-single-currency-change-the-direction-of-intergration-europe By Samuel Clark - The European Integration Project envisaged by Jean Monnet of ‘ever closer union between the states of Europe’ was dreamed out of a desire to see that Europe did not return to war again. Europe had, at that time, experienced two hugely destructive wars within a generation of each other. From the 1950s until the collapse of the Soviet Union and reunification of Germany, in 1990, the propellant for integration was a fear of the influence of Communism or invasion from the Warsaw Pact. With America’s financial and military resources increasingly stretched - due to the Korean and Vietnam... Sun, 01 Jan 2012 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1064/how-will-the-crisis-in-the-european-single-currency-change-the-direction-of-intergration-europe