Robert Keele and Dr. Robert McFarland, Germanic and Slavic Languages
The Project and Its Background
On May 29, 2005, French voters shocked Europe and the rest of the world by rejecting the new EU Constitution after nine other European countries (including Germany) had already ratified it. A few days later, Holland followed suit and voted “Nee” by an even greater margin. Panic and disbelief settled upon EU politicians, and the Euro dipped as markets reacted to the news. Europeans on other parts of the continent grumbled about the temperamental French, while political analysts and the media exploited this new challenge as The EU Crisis.
The defeat of the EU constitution sparked eager, widespread discussion about EU identity and the future of the Union. The Hauptargumenten of politicians and citizens concerning the advantages and disadvantages of the EU were almost exclusively economic or political in nature: lower tariffs; loss of monetary instruments; immigration; disenfranchisement; etc. The object of my honors thesis and ORCA research was to remind everyone, amid the flurry of speculation and uncertainty prevalent in Europe since the French rejection of the EU constitution, that a major benefit of the European integration is peace, on a continent that has been ravaged by war for centuries.
I prove that the establishment of peace was a major element in European unification by confirming links between peace movements and evolving pan-European ideas and political machinery. Limiting my research to the late 19th century, I focus on the following specific peace conferences, organizations, and activists: the 1899 Hague Peace Conference; the Interparliamentary Union; the Universal Peace Congress; and Bertha von Suttner. My research has yielded compelling evidence of early calls and movements for a united Europe in the name of peace, as well as actual political “peace” mechanisms and measures to bring about this unification.
Conception and Method
Initially intending to write solely on the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Bertha von Suttner, I opted to change the emphasis of my research after discovering a similar topic in which she played a major role. My discovery occurred while attending an academic conference just outside of Vienna, Austria in honor of the 100th anniversary of Suttner’s reception of the Nobel Peace Prize. A Dr. Van den Dungen from the University of Bradford in the UK gave a Vorredung on the political engagement of Bertha von Suttner. Unwittingly, his descriptions of peace organizations and other political organizations that fought for supra-national and peaceful solutions to international conflicts allured me enough to corner him afterward and cross-examine him.
My mentor, Dr. McFarland, was also present at this conference. He and I were extremely excited to learn of what seemed to us pre-natal EU organizations working toward a united Europe. I immediately began researching the leads given me by Dr. Van den Dungen and decided to focus on these 19th century peace movements toward a united Europe. Then, on May 29, when the French rejected the EU constitution, I saw how I could lend a contemporary relevance to my topic. Understanding that peace was a major element in the development of modern united Europe reminds the EU of its heritage, helping resolve the current EU crisis by arguing for integration, which fosters peace.
Importantly, with this new topic, I could still discuss Bertha von Suttner and her important role in the international peace movements of the time. Making her a main element of my thesis qualified my work to be published on the BYU German Department’s “Sophie Project” website – a site dedicated to the preservation and study of 19th century German women’s works.
Primary sources were difficult to obtain for much of my research, particularly because I lack fluency in Russian. I was, however, able to obtain most primary texts concerning Bertha von Suttner and even French historian August Schou. As mentioned above, I began by reading the general history of peace movements in and outside of Europe. I then began researching two specific organizations mentioned in Dr. Van den Dungen’s Vorredung: The Interparliamentary Union and the Universal Peace Congress. After researching these two organizations the importance of the 1899 Hague Peace Conference became apparent and I began delving into histories concerning that important international gathering. Finally, I concluded my initial research about Bertha von Suttner, reading her memoirs and her groundbreaking novel that made her a spokeswoman for the peace movement: Die Waffen Nieder (Lay Down Your Arms).
Obstacles and Rewards
My biggest obstacle in researching and writing my thesis was time. I completed my last semester at a Belgian university where I was learning French for the first time – a steep learning curve for senior-level courses. Upon returning to the states, I had to complete all my research and writing far from my university and its wonderful, wonderful library in a matter of a few months – all this while working full time and applying for several prestigious scholarships. But with the help of my mentor, friends, family, and my natural introverted anti-social character, I was able to complete the project on time.
After many years of formal schooling I feel that this project was really a capstone – a final “hail Mary” in which I rummaged through the untidy closet of my education to gather all possible tools and knowledge for proper completion of my project. Learning is best done by doing; and I learned how real academic research is done, making me very wary of graduate school. Beyond publishing in BYU’s “Sophie Project” website, I have also submitted my article for publication on the US-EU Good Governance Consortium website, a program through which I studied in Belgium. My hope is that the experience and skills gained from completing this project will help me gain entry at a top graduate school.