European unity : a brief historical sketch

Abstract

ABOUT two thousand years ago Rome held full sway in Europe. Julius Caesar had changed Rome from a Mediterranean power to a Continental one, through sheer personal initiative and military genius. His adopted son and heir Augustus completed the work by advancing the frontiers of the Empire to the Danube. His main cask, and glory, was to organise Roman government with.in the natural limits formed by the Rhine and the Danube, the African deserts and the Atlantic Ocean. Roman provinces were treated for the first time as departments of a single State, thanks to the general proconsular authority vested in the Emperor. Two thousand years ago, therefore, a considerable part of Europe was truly united under the aegis of Rome.