Hoffman Contrasts Political Goals Of Factions in Common Market

Stanley H. Hoffman, associate professor of Government, discussed yesterday the political implications of the Common Market within and without Western Europe.

Speaking in the Quincy House junior common room, Hoffman described the two political forces at work within Western Europe. "The first political alignment," he pointed out, "is made up of European federalists who have wanted political unity since the early '50's."

The members of this ideological group, Hoffman continued, "were Christian Democrats originally, in each of the six countries." (The Common Market is made up of Belgium, Netherlands, Luxumbourg, France, West Germany and Italy). They settled on economic unity first, as a stepping-stone to political unity.

Piece-Meal Unity

These European federalists are committed to "piece-meal integration". From economic unity, they now have a jumping board to political unity. However, this is not the only conception of the Common Market.

The de Gaullists compose a second force within Western Europe. "This group is like the Federalists in that it believes in common European culture and Europe as an entity in itself," Hoffman explained. Yet the de Gaullists "favor inter-governmental negotiation rather than the super-national state."

The "stalemate" existing within the climate of European opinion lies in this question of whether to unite politically as a monolithic super-national state as the integrationists urge or to unite inter-governmentally as the de Gaullists insist.

Hoffman, nothing this stalemate, suggested that there is "need for inter-governmental negotiation within the framework of super-national cooperation," using for an example the planned Common Market agricultural program.

The British position, Hoffman pointed out, revolves around their feeling that with the end of their empire, they are a European power, and they might as well join the Common Market even if their enthusiasm is not as great as it might be.

"The English loathe some de Gaulle-Adenauer policies," Hoffman emphasized, "but they must weigh the political dis-advantages with the economic advantages in deciding whether or not to join."