“Dual Hegemony: France, Germany and the Making of Monetary Union in Europe”

Chang, Michele. (1999) “Dual Hegemony: France, Germany and the Making of Monetary Union in Europe” . In European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 1999 (6th), June 2-5, 1999, pages 35, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Abstract

The structure of the paper will be as follows: first, I will review the literature on the German Dominance Hypothesis. Next, I argue that European monetary integration progressed during a period of dual hegemony rather than straight German leadership. I demonstrate this through case studies of seminal events leading up to monetary integration: the inception of the European Monetary System in 1979 and its “maturing” in 1983; the negotiations leading up to the Maastricht Treaty and the 1992-93 currency crisis; and the controversy over the selection of the European Central Bank president.