Discourses on Europe in German, British and US American Print Media 1945-1980

Using texts, photographs, and caricatures from selected years of German, British, and US American daily newspapers, the subproject analyses in what way this media constructed public models and ideas of Europe between the end of the war and the first European election. The core focus of the analysis lies not only on the extensively researched process of the political and economic integration of Europe, but additionally concentrates on images of Europe in the area of culture, society, and sports.

Emphasis is further placed on the question as to what extent the self-perception of Europe and its perception by others have changed since 1945 against the backdrop of various developments, such as coping with the aftermath of the war, the continuing European integration, modernisation, and societal upheavals. Particularly the thesis that a downright euphoric idea of a united Europe spread in the late 40s and early 50s - subsequently waning due to the tough EEC negotiations - is to be investigated. Furthermore, the question of whether the European idea was perceived as a ‘peace project’ after 1945, a ‘bulwark against communism’, or an attempt to spur the reconstruction of Europe as a community of values, is brought to the fore.

The articles are examined according to key words and their interpretations in the individual countries. The selected time period of 35 years makes it possible to carve out transformations in the public discourses on Europe and contextualise them politically, socially, and historically.