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49 J. Common Mkt. Stud. 57 (2011)
The Reluctant Hegemon: Germany Moves Centre Stage in the European Union

handle is hein.journals/jcmks49 and id is 1435 raw text is: JCMS 2011 Volume 49 Annual Review pp. 57-75 The Reluctant Hegemon? Germany Moves Centre Stage in the European Union* WILLIAM E. PATERSON Aston University Introduction Among the large Member States of the European Union (EU), the Federal Republic of Germany has been distinctive in its commitment to integration and enlargement and has always played a key role in European integration. The traumatic experience of the short century from 1870 to 1945, when Germany had twice attempted to assert its power unilaterally, meant, however, that the Federal Republic was a 'reflexive multilateralist' who made a practice of 'leading from behind'. There was a self- and external perception of Germany pursuing a European vocation (Paterson, 2010). It therefore avoided a discourse of national interest: the European interest was seen as the national interest. Its preferred mode of presenting European initiatives was in tandem with France. All of these elements have come under pressure in recent years, but the eurozone crisis has proved to be a tipping point for classic German Europeanism while simultaneously Germany has been pushed some- what reluctantly centre stage to become Europe's reluctant hegemon. In this article we will examine how this tipping point was arrived at, how the German government has performed in this new role and the implications for Germany and the wider EU. * I would like to thank my long-time collaborator Simon Bulmer who continues to be a source of ideas and inspiration and with whom I am currently working on a book project on Germany and the European Union. C 2011 The Author(s) JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies C 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street Malden, MA 02148, USA