The Bunker – News without the nonsense Back the Future? – What is Europe for in the 21st Century?
Mar 19, 2026
Roderick Beaton, historian and author of Europe: A New History, maps how European identity was forged over millennia. He traces core values like law and democracy. He examines postwar integration, tensions around Germany, EU enlargement, Brexit’s effects, migration and cultural integration, and how history can frame Europe’s uncertain future.
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Core Values That Define Europe
- European identity rests on geography plus a 2,500-year historical accumulation centered on rule of law, human rights, and democracy.
- Roderick Beaton ranks the rule of law first, then human rights, then democracy, tracing roots to ancient Greece and Christianity.
Why Postwar Europe Chose Integration
- The post‑WWII push for European unity responded to continent‑wide devastation and the Enlightenment legacy of rights and law.
- Beaton argues the Enlightenment provided the ideological basis for rebuilding Europe against autocracy.
Integration Versus Old‑Style Nationalism
- Europe oscillates between integration and national rivalry, but 21st‑century geopolitics demands collective action.
- Beaton warns that nation‑state competition is 'old hat' and unsustainable versus Russia, US, China power dynamics.
