An Analysis Ot The American Factors At The Start-up Stage Of The European Integration

Starting the integration of the countries in Western Europe in the late1950s is not only an event of symbolic significance, but also a major breakthrough in the research paradigm of the theories of international politics. Since then the relevant theories of European integration become academic research hotspots. However, traditional theories of European integration, such as federalism, functionalism, intergovernalism, have obvious shortcomings because they only focus on the impact the internal factors have on integration in the research method in Europe. Starting the integration in Western European countries was not fully decided by the European countries themselves, but it has inalienable relationship with the special times of Europe. In this sense, starting the integration in Western Europe must take the American factors into consideration. After the Second World War ended, the United States became the genuine hegemony, and the pattern of international relationships showed characteristics of polar opposites. The interests between the United States and its Western European allies were in a state of high correlations and there were great power disparities between them. So the integration in Western Europe was the result of the combined effects of these factors.Based on this, this paper will focus on the starting point of the integration in Western Europe in1945-1958, primarily using the hegemony theories to analyze the integration in Western Europe. In the theories of international politics, hegemony refers to a state or government's leadership, authority or influences and the accompanying political dominance in the area. A hegemony country refers to a country that has super power and is in a dominant and leading position in the entire system. The relationship between hegemony and non-hegemony countries can be classified into three types, that is, balance of power strategy, bandwagon strategy and non-interventional strategy, each having its logical starting point. At the level of theory extension, the three kinds of strategies are subject to three aspects, that is, the international system, the interest correlation and the power contrast between hegemony and non-hegemony countries. These three kinds of strategies have become theorized under the background of the above-mentioned three aspects which are the sources of all kinds of behaviors of hegemony and non-hegemony countries when they interact.The relationship between hegemony countries and certain regions can also be classified into three types, that is, supporting strategy, opposing strategy and non-interventional strategy, each having its different logical starting point. At the level of theory extension, the three kinds of strategies are subject to three aspects, that is, the international system, the interest correlation and the power contrast between hegemony countries and certain regions. These three kinds of strategies have become theorized under the background of the above-mentioned three aspects.On the basis of such theoretical analysis, this paper has made two theory assumptions. One is that if there is no dominant recognized country in a certain region and this region is the key factor to achieving the core national interests of an outside hegemony country, then the hegemony country is bound to have a decisive impact on the region's development trends. The other is the relationships between hegemony countries, non-hegemony countries and certain regions are subject to the international system, the interest correlation and the power contrast among them. The assumption of European integration can be analyzed and validated using the hegemony theories. The economy of Western Europe suffered seriously after the Second World War and economic reconstruction was an urgent task faced by Western Europe. It was the consensus view of the political leaders of the post-war Western European countries to use the method of "community" to realize the economic revival and the Western European countries had made many beneficial attempts after the Second World War. But it was only after the interference of the United States that Europe really started the integration. Considering the pattern of the international relationships, the interest correlation and the power contrast between the United States and Western European countries, the United States formulated the Marshall Plan on economics and put forward the principle of integration which was the basic principle for Western European countries to accept the aids. Against the Western European countries'passive resistance to the principle of integration, the United States forced Western European countries to act according to the principle of integration without compromise. It was the United States'persistence and insistence to the principle of integration that critically prompted Western Europe to start integration.Considering the pattern of the international relationships, the interest correlation and the power contrast between the United States and Western European countries, the United States developed the Atlantic Alliance Strategy on politics. But establishing the Atlantic alliance was not going smoothly, especially concerning the qualifications of Italy and Germany as member states.As to Italy's qualification as member state, the differences mainly existed inside the United States and it involved the nature of the alliance:to establish the Atlantic Alliance, the Mediterranean Alliance or both. Different understandings of the nature of the alliance directly influenced the development trends of European political and military integration. Finally, the United States decided to establish the Atlantic Alliance and agreed Italy's entry into the NATO which meant that the United States had acknowledged Italy's position in Western Europe. This had great significance for the political and economic integration in Western Europe. As to Germany's qualification as member state, the United States insisted on rearming Germany and bringing it into the Atlantic framework design. Although France was firmly opposed to this, the United States forced France to abandon its previous objections by adopting the method of providing long-term military protection for Western Europe and then smoothly solved this issue. The United States'political design of the Atlantic Alliance had great significance on the political and military integration in Western Europe.Similarly, the United States had developed the ideology of rule by federalism under the influence of the ideas of federalism. The United States wanted to apply this ideology to the political construction in Western Europe after the Second World War and turn Western Europe into a federal one. The support of the United States'ideology of federalism on the integration of Western Europe was mainly reflected in the United States'support on the Christian Democratic Party in power in Western Europe countries. The fact that the United States was in support of the basic programme of the Christian Democratic Party strengthened the will and ability of Western Europe to move towards integration under the leadership of the Christian Democratic Party.The academic value of history research is to help scholars understand the reality problems. Now the integration of East Asia is still at the initial stage after ten years' exploration, but this cannot cool the enthusiasm of the scholars at home and abroad for the study of integration of East Asia. Many domestic and foreign scholars have made a comparative study on the integration of East Asia and that of Western Europe, and hope to find the approach for Asia to carry out the integration. But many papers or literature studied only the existing results of the integration of Western Europe and ignored its starting stage. On the issue of integration, Asia is now at a stage where Europe was during1945to1958. To study the starting point of the integration of East Asia and the integration of Western Europe, we find that the great similarity between them is that they were both influenced by the United States, which cannot be overlooked by any scholars who study the integration of East Asian economy. The influences of the United States on the integration of East Asian economy are equally subject to the international system, the interest correlation and the power contrast which are the main causes of the United States'meddling in East Asian affairs.Contrary to the fact that the United States had played a positive improving role in the starting stage of the integration of Western Europe, the United States has now played a negative impeding role in the integration of East Asian economy under the influences of the unipolar hegemony pattern, the deep interest correlation and the great disparity in power. On the one hand, the American hegemony further disintegrates the will and ability of East Asian countries to carry out the integration making use of their own shortcomings. On the other hand, because of the asymmetrical interdependence relationship between the United States and East Asia, the United States has adopted the global strategy and regional strategy to split up East Asia and then lead the integration process of East Asian economy. So the integration of East Asian economy will still meet with many variables and difficulties under the influences of the United States.