The topic of the European Union has long been the focus of public opinion and political discussions; indeed, it is one of the issues that most arouse passions and shape collective feelings. Participation in the process of integration and monetary union in many countries has become the main discriminator between the camps; the European Union is a constant and imposing presence in the visual field of citizens; it is a compelling constraint on government action. The course in the History of European Integration aims to raise among students an awareness of the historical roots and unfolding of a constitutive aspect of present reality. The teaching given will enable the student to acquire a good knowledge of the basic outlines of the history of European integration, from the years after World War II to the most recent developments: from the establishment of the first European Communities to the birth of the European Union, the completion of economic and monetary union, the institutional problems that have found accommodation in the Lisbon Treaty, and the difficulties and convulsions aroused by the great economic crisis of our time. The economic, political and institutional aspects of integration will be examined in the framework of the broader transnational links that characterize the contemporary world (interdependence, globalization) and in the interweaving with the historical processes of the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st (Cold War, evolution of the relationship between the United States and Europe within the Western alliance, overcoming the division of Europe, growth and crisis of the world economy). At the end of the course, the student will be in possession of notions that should enable him or her to navigate knowledgeably in the public debate of our times, to acquire an autonomous capacity for judgment with respect to the issues under discussion, and to argue his or her own convictions, eschewing simplifications and platitudes.