is a chronological political history of European integration from the 1950s to the present. It also includes a contextualising survey of wider European history since the 1600s, and places unification against a background of world politics. This clearly written introduction to the essential history, economics and politics of the European Union assumes no prior knowledge. It offers a detailed account of the Union with sections on: * how the Union works * basic principles of the Union * arguments over contested practices, including agriculture * issues of the cold war, enlargement, and the role of the United States * language * single European currency With an annotated bibliography, chronology and guide to the institutions of the European Union, incorporates the most recent research and detailed treatment of the policies of the European Union.