Nations and Identity in Contemporary Europe

Abstract

There is a controversial debate on the existence of a European identity. Before the development of the Nation-State in its nationalist form and the two World Wars, there existed a ?vague sense of cultural commonality' . We can distinguish periods of unity in the history of Europe into three parts. During the first period, from the 5th century to the 14th century, there was a religious unification which converted the Europeans into Roman Christianity.