Themes from the 70s. A series of ten programmes 9: The Distant Dream
In 1970, the dream of the European Community was economic and monetary union by 1980. To the more idealistic, the enlargement of the Six to nine member states in 1973 seemed to push Europe further towards the building of a United States of Europe. But as the decade progressed, the hopes and ideals that had so characterised the creation of the EEC faded and changed under the combined pressures of the world economic crisis, protective nationalism, and, increasingly, a sense of loss of direction.
David Marquand talks to those who have helped to shape the Europe of the last ten years, to the idealists, the realists, and to those more cynical; and, as Europe goes into the 80s and faces further enlargement, examines the implications for the Community's institutions and political base.
Producer KAROLYN SHINDLER