Abstract
My chapter is concerned with Gunnar Landtman’s (1878–1940) ideas on the United States of Europe. After the economic problems at the turn of the 1920s, the ideas of international or even European unity were put in question and the states were turning to themselves. During those years, Landtman published his first essay on Europe in 1923. In the course of the years that followed, he reacted on new situations and developed his own ideas. All in all, he published many essays relating to the topic. He was interested in human nature, international relations, peace, and democracy. In my chapter, I analyze Landtman’s visions on Europe and motives for writing that at particular time. I ask how Landtman’s background as a biologically orientated, Darwinist, and Westermarckian social scientist can be seen in his ideas on the United States of Europe.
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Notes
- 1.
There are many studies on the history of theories on European integration. I am in great depth to many. See, for example, Andersson (2009), Bugge (1995), Judt (2011), Stirk (1989), and Mikkeli (1998). The reader should recall that even though nowadays one can unblushingly think of joining Europe, which in many popular views is a synonym for the EU, things were certainly not like that in the mid-war Europe.
- 2.
My forthcoming monograph on Landtman’s sociology and ways of using sociological knowledge as a public intellectual is the first study on his sociology, let alone on his role as a public intellectual.
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- 6.
He was, for example, a proponent of freedom of speech and democracy, founder of the Society for Human Rights and an opponent of death penalty. He was also a member of the Parliament and the Foreign Affairs Committee.
- 7.
Svenska Litteratursällskapet I Finland (The Society of Swedish Literature in Finland) is a scholarly organization that preserves, promotes, develops and mediates Swedish Cultural Heritage in Finland. See www.sls.fi.
- 8.
It is worth mentioning that Finland also experienced a politically motivated murder in that year when a right wing activist murdered Minister Heikki Ritavuori. I am not suggesting that Landtman was in any true danger, but still it is good to keep in mind the political climate and the strength of nationalism during the mid-war years.
- 9.
I have translated the titles of Landtman’s works into English. The original Swedish and Finnish titles can be seen in the bibliography.
- 10.
Some of his essays were published in both Swedish and Finnish, but some only in Finnish, clearly with a wider audience in mind.
- 11.
Landtman must have referred to Kellogg-Briand pact (1928), General Treaty for Renunciation of War as an instrument of National Policy.
- 12.
As I have explained, Landtman used cultural evolutionary concepts. If willing, one can see Landtman’s civilized countries referring to a certain stage of social evolution – starting from primitive and evolving toward civilization. In this case, the level of culture was his border. This can be related to his ideas on expanding the circle of sympathy. Certainly, Landtman’s modernist conception of the civilized can critically be discussed from many postcolonial and postmodernist perspectives.
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Ahmajarvi, J. (2016). Individuals and Peoples Are Not Each Other’s Enemies: Gunnar Landtman’s Sociological Foundations for Cosmopolitanism. In: Papastephanou, M. (eds) Cosmopolitanism: Educational, Philosophical and Historical Perspectives. Contemporary Philosophies and Theories in Education, vol 9. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30430-4_3
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