Book excerpt: A unique account of how decolonization affected European integration, covering more than 20 years of the life of the European Community Explains the impact of "Thirdworldism" in western Europe Describes the significance of the 1973 oil shock beyond the Arab-Israeli conflict Traces the tensions in the Atlantic arena in the 1970s and the quest for a European identity Uses a wide range of transnational archives: governments, international organizations, political and economic actors After Empires describes how the end of colonial empires and the changes in international politics and economies after decolonization affected the European integration process. Until now, studies on European integration have often focussed on the search for peaceful relations among the European nations, particularly between Germany and France, or examined it as an offspring of the Cold War, moving together with the ups and downs of transatlantic relations. But these two factors alone are not enough to explain the rise of the European Community and its more recent transformation into the European Union.