The organization of the European countries is something of a paradox. The integration process gets more tangible by the day and the European Union is gradually growing. Simultaneously there are a number of disintegrative trendsincluding campaigns for stronger nation states, particularly inthe eastern parts of the continent.

Although we can grasp these different lines of development, it is difficult to foresee which will be the dominating one in the future. Are we going to have a politically, economically and culturally united Europe, or is the integration process going to slow down and come to a halt?

The key to understanding the driving forces behind the changes lies in an analysis of the historical background. Europe. The Return of History is written by a group of Swedish historians presenting the development of nation states and historical regions in different parts of Europe. This anthology thus gives both an overview and an in-depth description of historical Europe as well as an understanding of developments today and tomorrow.