Euroskeptizismus

The phenomenon of Euroscepticism is not new. It existed long before the Maastricht Treaty, which has frequently served as a starting point in the academic debate on Euroscepticism. Instead, European integration has always been subject to criticism and hostility. In this study, the author makes an overall assessment of this fact in an outstanding manner. He analyses the central Eurosceptic arguments of their time, provides an overview of the development of public opinion and shows in what way and with what consequences political actors have opposed "Brussels" time and again – from the communists of the 1950s to the right-wing populists of the present day. In this context, he argues that the increased criticism of European integration in recent years corresponds to the fact that the EU of today is a much more political body than the European communities of earlier decades.