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Chapter One THE HISTORIC PATH TO THE EUROPEAN UNION

B y the beginning of the twentieth century, the people of Europe had grown tired of the constant wars between its various countries. Hopes rose for a union that would allow the citizens of Europe to trade with one another, travel, and support each other’s interests. These hopes were postponed by two great wars during the first half of the twentieth century–World War I (1914–18) and World War II (1939–45). However, by the mid-twentieth century, those people had resisted the forces of hatred and dictatorship during these wars, and then worked even harder to create a union of European nations that could live in peaceful cooperation. World leaders who supported the new European order included Konrad Adenauer of Germany, Winston Churchill of Britain, and Robert Schuman of France.

ABOVE: Sir Winston Churchill’s victory salute in May 1943.

During this period, Schuman, who was France’s foreign affairs minister, put into practice an idea orignally proposed by Jean Monnet: to set up a European Coal and Steel Community, known as the ECSC. The ECSC was officially created by the Treaty of Paris in 1951, and established a common market in coal and steel. Having a common market meant that steps had been taken to allow various countries within Europe to do business with one another more easily. 13