European Integration, 1950-2003 : Superstate or New Market Economy?

Rating:
Summary: Too many factual errors
Review: European Integration is one of my favorites topics. I do not share the author's euro skepticism but I enjoyed his discussion about different theories of integration. However, I cannot recommend a book with so many factual errors about modern history of my native Spain. I do not know who told Mr. Gillingham that Prime Minister Felipe González was know as Pepe (it is González and not Gonzáles by the way), that the socialist inspired trade union is the Unión de Centro Democrático (as opposed to the Union General de Trabajadores) that the deputy PM name was Juan Guerra (as opposed to Alfonso Guerra) or that the Bank of Spain intervened BANESTA (as opposed to BANESTO). I recommend a full revision if this book is ever to be translated into Spanish and/or sold in Spain. I can only hope that he got the facts of the rest of the countries right.

Rating:
Summary: Too many factual errors
Review: European integration is one of my favourite topics. I do not share the author's euro skepticism but I enjoyed his overal discussion about theories of inegration. However, I cannot recommend a book with so many factual errors about modern history of my native Spain. I do not know who told Mr Gillingham that Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez was known as Pepe (by the way it is Gonzalez and not Gonzales), that the socialist oriented trade Union is the Union de Centro Democratico (as opposed to Union General de Trabajadores), that the Deputy PM was Juan Guerra (as opposed to Alfonso Guerra) or that the Bank os Spain intervened BANESTA (as opposed to BANESTO). I recommend a full revission if this book is ever to be translated into Spanish and/or sold in Spain. I can only hope he got the facts for the rest of the countries right.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting view of European Integration
Review: Unlike the last reviewer who had to review this work three times to air his/her views on this work, I will only need one. The author is extremely precise in his wording, and very knowledgeable with the subject matter presented. The book is a pleasure to read, and a great addition to the library of anyone with an avid interest in Europe.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting view of European Integration
Review: Unlike the last reviewer who had to review this work three times to air his/her views on this work, I will only need one. The author is extremely precise in his wording, and very knowledgeable with the subject matter presented. The book is a pleasure to read, and a great addition to the library of anyone with an avid interest in Europe.

Rating:
Summary: Mainly for Thatcherites
Review: We need a one-volume history of European Integration, but not this five hundred page panegyric to...Margaret Thatcher? In Gillingham's funhouse, Thatcher is the key figure in European Integration, receiving more attention than any of the individuals who actually tried to integrate Europe, most of whom are dismissed, often in very personal terms. European integration indeed disappears from the book sometimes for sixty pages at a time while the author reviews political developments of right-wing governments in...New Zealand? A very distorted understanding of European integration.