The European Parliament: Moving to the Centre of Historical Interest in the European Union

Abstract

This article discusses the historiography of the European Parliament (EP) up to and including the advent of direct elections, in 1979. The term historiography is interpreted loosely to include the work not only of historians, but also of political scientists who have studied the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community and the early decades of the European Parliament, as well as practitioners - officials and Members of the European Parliament - who have written about the institution from an academic perspective. The article aims to explore changes over time in how analysts of the EP approached their subject, the contributions that they have made, and current trends in historical research on the EP - an institution that emerged as an important player in European Community governance well before the dawn of direct elections.