The idea of “Europe” and socio-economic changes in the Western Balkans in the age of enlightenment

Абстракт

In recent years, the European Union and its Member States have been struggling with many crises. Economic stagnation andgradual decay of the welfare state have triggeredmany socio-political issues, the most prominent being the rise of radical political movements. The current state of the EU is raising many concerns. Yet, the idea of “Europe” is not a brainchild of the 20th century; it is the product of historical process thatspans over 2 millennia. In that regard, Early Modern Age (15th-18th centuries) should be considered crucial to the process, as this was the time when the instruments of the European policy were established. The subject of this research is the 18th century Europeanisation of the Western Balkans, namely the territory of the modern day Serbia proper. This era saw great improvements, especially following the expansion ofHabsburgEmpire in 1718 to the territories south of Sava and Danube. Effort was made to establish the contemporary European institutions which could efficiently exploit natural resources, create modern taxation system and implement European mercantilistic policies. Based on the sources of different provenance, the focus of this research will be on the Austrian governance of this region, which had an enormous impact on Serbian society as well.