The History of the European Monetary Union 1999
Distributed by Films Media Group, PO Box 2053, Princeton, New Jersey 08543-2053; 800-257-5126
Produced by Deutsche Welle
Director n/a
VHS, color, 60 min.
Adult
Business, Economics
Date Entered: 11/09/2018
Reviewed by Michael J. Coffta, Business Librarian, Bloomsburg University of PennsylvaniaThis is an outstanding outline and timeline of past events and events yet to come in the evolution of the European Monetary Union. First thoughts of a European conglomerate of nations obeying uniform monetary and fiscal policies began after World War II. The film does an excellent job of examining pivotal events like the Coal Producers' Union, the Treaty of Rome, and the Maastricht Treaty. The film then discusses the benefits of a single currency and a single European central bank, modeled after the historically inflation-minded Bundesbank. It examines the benefits of the EMU to countries outside the Union as well.
My high recommendation for this documentary comes with a couple of caveats. First, the film is very optimistic and does not give equal discussion to downsides or risks. Second, this film already speaks of "future events" which have already happened. This film was produced before the new currency, the Euro, was issued on January 1, 1999. It does, however, offer a superb progression of topics regarding the EMU and its ongoing development. This film is highly recommended for students with a healthy background in economics. The documentary is not steeped in jargon, but a solid grounding in economics is key to understanding this film.