Europe is in a deep crisis, and not just because of Russia's war against Ukraine. Why? Because Europeans lack a clear goal in many respects, says historian Philipp Ther.
Populism is gaining strength, Russia is advancing and the climate crisis is worsening: Europe is electing its parliament in explosive times. How did the continent get into this situation, where are there ways out? Historian Philipp Ther provides answers in an interview.
t-online: Professor Ther, the old world order is falling apart, and now more than 350 million people are being called to vote in the European Parliament. However, enthusiasm for the European project is low in these times of crisis. Why?
Philipp Ther: There is simply no clear goal. When the Iron Curtain fell in 1989, there was still a clear direction that could be summed up in the promise of prosperity. The post-communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe were to become like the West. That seemed plausible and was also understood by those who were against “shock therapy”. Today, everything is much more difficult.
What mistakes have been made since the transformation in 1989?
Let us remember the words of former Chancellor Angela Merkel about the “lack of alternatives” to certain social reforms; her Social Democratic predecessor Gerhard Schröder still said “Basta!” Such statements can be made, but they cause damage. Why? Because they do not convince the population, but rather polarize it. Because people want to debate and have a say. That is the essence of a democracy.
The word “no alternative” was even voted the Unword of the Year in 2010.
Anyone who argues like this removes decisions from the democratic process. This creates major political problems in the long term.
You criticize the European Union's lack of political and social objectives. What about the Green Deal of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in times of the climate crisis?
The green transformation is important and necessary, but it is not a positive goal in the narrow sense. It is simply a way of preventing something worse, such as global warming of more than 1.5 degrees. But it does require positive goals and a good dose of utopia, as was the case in the democratic revolutions of 1989. At the moment, the idea that we can even maintain our status quo seems almost utopian.
Philipp Therborn in 1967, founded the Research Center for the History of Transformations (RECET) at the University of Vienna and has written several books on this subject. In his book “The other end of the story. About the Great Transformation” he has been analyzing change processes since 1989.
Historically, many utopias have proven to be dangerous and disastrous.
History is, for good reasons, an anti-utopian science, because the analysis of the past reveals how various utopias have been eliminated or have led to terrible things. But it is not possible to do without utopias altogether. In fact, the question arises as to what benefit people get from being able to fly to Mallorca several times a year, drive around in cars weighing more than two tons and eat unhealthily? These pressing questions demand satisfactory answers. The Green Deal is only a snapshot in time; it needs more utopian content.
Do you have a suggestion?
Ultimately, it's about a better, healthier and more fulfilling life. Just talking about the energy transition is not enough.
However, Germany’s path to the energy transition is already a rocky one.
On the one hand, this is due to a lack of utopia, but on the other hand, it is also due to the lack of pragmatic intermediate steps such as saving energy, which would certainly be acceptable to the majority because people feel it in their wallets.
However, by invading Ukraine and subsequently cutting off natural gas supplies, Vladimir Putin has pushed forward the energy transition.
Russia's war against Ukraine has accelerated the transformation in the energy sector, yes. This is a very positive development – even if it represents a major challenge in the short and medium term and will cost us a lot of money. In the long term, the benefits will outweigh the disadvantages. But if we look at the path we have taken so far, the lack of intermediate steps is striking. In the energy crisis since 2022, many Germans have saved out of necessity, and the standard of living has not fallen significantly. Where this danger existed, the state has cushioned the hardships.
