PART ONE : The post-war birth of a political Europe
Why was the European idea born after 1945?
1. The origins of political Europe
- The trauma of war. If the European idea is old, it has seen a revival during the Second World War, especially in the Resistance movement. By bringing people together, European integration seems to be the best way to ensure peace and economic reconstruction after the war.
- A movement for the future. This is why europeanists associations multiply after 1945. For example, the Union of European Federalists, which includes fifty associations, was created in 1946. The European idea is mainly supported by two political families: the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats.
- The bipolarization of the world from 1947 will allow European states to retain some political weight to face two major U.S. and USSR.
2. Several projects for Europe
- A common objective: a democratic Europe. Marked by totalitarianism, the europanists see in European integration a means of promoting liberal democracy and human rights.
- Two political currents : federalists and unionists. Unionists are in favor of a simple cooperation between States respecting their sovereignty. Federalists want a supranational Europe in which states give up a large part of their sovereignty. This difference persists today.
3. Congress HAGUE (1948) and its consequences
- The meeting of all-Europeans. In May 1948, under the chairmanship of W. Churchill, 800 delegates from 18 countries met in The Hague. Three committees are set up (economic & social, political and cultural) to discuss ways to unify Europe.
Despite the differences, this conference marks the revival of the European idea, a message is then written to the Europeans defining the idea of European integration to come.
- A first limited production: the main result of this conference was the birth of the Council of Europe (1949), its purpose is to promote political, economic and cultural cooperation between the European states and the European civilization and defend the Human Rights.
-Many opponents. However, there is also a strong anti-European sentiment. The communist parties of Europe are opposed to this idea as subservient to the USSR. In France, the Gaullists oppose any federal building that would harm national sovereignty.