Federation and the Language Problem in Europe

Abstract

FOR some considerable time, the idea of Federal Union has been gaining ground in several quarters, and there are many who advocate a federal constitution as the only satisfactory means of re-establishing peace and order in Europe. Idea of a Federal is not a utopian dream, but is the basis of a stable and well balanced order of society, such as can never be achieved in a continent composed of numerous and highly disintegrated sovereign states. A Federation of the European Continent, as is exemplified in the ideal of The United States of Europe symbolizes the practical expression and alignment of a new outlook of political thought and economic planning, that will consolidate all that is best and worth preserving in European Society. Idea of Federation is not new, and derives from several schools of thought which have been developing this thesis for a number of years, based mainly on two dominant factors. first is the lessons taught by existing federations, such as the United States of America, Canada, South Africa, Switzerland, and even the U.S.S.R. itself, which embodies all the essential elements of a federal constitution, as emphasized in the formula of Unity in Community which is the predominant factor in Russia's present outlook. second factor in advancing the thesis of federation is the overwhelming menace of excessive chauvinism and economic nationalism, which has revealed itself as being the logical accompaniment to the unchecked development of the sovereign state. problems associated with establishing a Federal System in are many and varied, and foremost amongst these is the problem of languages. great number of languages and dialects spoken throughout the European Continent, and the lack of a common tongue, presents a serious obstacle to the free and unhampered intercourse between the peoples of the different countries. This fact, nobody will deny, and many antagonists of the federal idea will immediately declare that the language problem alone is an insuperable barrier to a European Federation. However, upon logical analysis of the problem, it will be realized that great as it is, it is by no means insoluble, as we shall see by comparing the language problem in with the linguistic affinity that has been achieved by way of federation in the U.S.S.R.