European solidarity
A semantic history
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12528569 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Wolfgang Schmale (0000-0001-8772-341X, History, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 854-873 |
| Publication date | 2017-09-15 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | European Review of History Revue européenne d histoire (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1350-7486 • E-ISSN: 1469-8293 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13507486.2017.1345869 |
| OpenAlex | W2755611318 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
‘European solidarity’ is one of the most frequently used words in contemporary public discourse, but what does it mean? This article investigates the historical and semantic background of the term in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish since the French Revolution, when ‘solidarity’ became a political keyword for the first time in European history. With the founding of the Holy Alliance in 1815 the idea of ‘European solidarity’ as an instrument for achieving political order on the continent emerged. A historical longitudinal analysis via the Ngram Viewer reveals that the frequency of ‘solidarity’ follows or depends on certain crisis moments in history, such as revolutions, wars or economic troubles. ‘Solidarity’ belongs to the history of emotions and propaganda but is not a stable value system that consolidates political culture. It also seems to play a greater role in the national rather than in the European context. As a European political expression, ‘solidarity’ is not genuinely European but borrowed from the national political vocabulary. Moreover, the article outlines the semantic field of ‘European solidarity’ by showing linkages between ‘solidarity’ and other words
Context (archaeology · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Solidarity · Value (mathematics · Cross-Border Cooperation and Integration · European Cultural and National Identity · European Union Policy and Governance · History · Law
| Citations per year | 0.55 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2015 - 2026 (12) |
| Highly cited | No |