TOWARDS EUROPEAN NATION POLITICAL FICTION OR POLITICAL REALISM?

The idea of European nation was created by Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi, an Austrian aristocrat and promoter of European integration. His idea was based on certainty that European nation is a virtual fact (being). He regarded nation as a cultural community but he was convinced that the Europeans should build a common state - federation or confederation. When Kalergi formulated his concept, the idea of European nation had strong concurrent - rising nationalisms which were real barrier for integration projects. Generally, industrial - modern civilization was not a good period for universalizing and integrating activity. Nation state was unifonnizing power which superseded universal community as well as regional and local societies. But transformation of civilization: from industrial to post-industrial and its political and cultural consequences, e.g. European integration, gives us a new opportunity and has changed our understanding of identity issues. That is why we should reconsider the idea of Kalergi and apply that to the new civilizational conditions.