The Politics and Policies of European Economic Integration, 1850-1914

This book asks anew whether there really was European integration before 1914. By focussing on economic integration, patents, international communication, social policy and plant protection, the authors re-evaluate European and international cooperation of the time. The authors show that European cooperation was not the result of intent, but of incentives. And while European cooperation was the result of national initiatives, national rules also were radically affected by international impulses.The result is a book that achieves two things: offer stand-alone chapters that shed some light on specific developments and - these read altogether - develop a bigger picture.