Europe - a community of values. Contemporary understanding of the idea and heritage of Alcide De Gasperi

Abstract

Objectives Socio-economic development and technological progress should take place in accordance with the history of civilization, not forgetting the historical, social or cultural heritage and common values. The aim of the article is to present the ideas that guided the Italian statesman Alcide De Gasperi and his vision of the future of Europe and to confront it with the current order and needs prevailing on the old continent. Material and methods The research method used in the text is the analysis of sources like A. De Gasperi's speeches, original letters that were digitized and opened to the general public in 2019 thanks to the Italian national digital release program of Alcide De Gasperi's correspondence, and numerous comments from historians, political scientists and economists. Results As a result of the analysis of the collected material, the figure and values followed by this Italian statesman were presented. Due to the abundance of source materials, the author focused on aspects related to the then new vision of a united Europe, his definition of the economic order in post-war Italy, combining liberal capitalism with the social economy, and the spiritual element of De Gasperi's nature and his deep religiousness. Conclusions The plan for a Europe "United in Peace" proposed by Alcide De Gasperi remains valid. After centuries of wars between European countries, important steps have been taken towards integration: from the European Coal and Steel Community to the draft constitution. Building a united Europe and the Atlantic Alliance started a new chapter in the history of the "old continent" and the whole world: today they can make a significant contribution to deciding about the future, about the balance of power and balance on the international arena.

Keywords

• history
• european union
• values
• alcide de gasperi
• heritage