Schauen Sie hinter die Türen der Brüsseler Konferenzsäle und lauschen Sie lange geheim gehaltenen Gesprächen im Élysée-Palast! Folgen Sie Winston Churchill, der kurz nach dem Krieg die Vereinigten Staaten von Europa anstrebte, Charles de Gaulle, der Frankreichs Großmachtstellung durch Europa wiederherstellen wollte.

This two-volume textbook teaches about the uniqueness and the difficulty of the European unification project. It describes, as clearly as possible, what Robert Schuman declared in 1950, that "... Europe will not be made all at once...". Volume 1 sets out in a concise and readable way the European historical origins, the important steps in the creation of the European Union, and the treaties and historical events that have marked its course so far.

See in particular chapter European integration and the Cold War (open access)

Focusing on the critical years 1947 to 1949, Steil's gripping narrative takes us through the seminal episodes that marked the collapse of postwar U.S.-Soviet relations: the Prague coup, the Berlin blockade, and the division of Germany.

This book recreates the decade that gave birth to the European Communities (1948-1957), it shows the origins of the EU project through the eyes of the protagonists.
See in particular chapter "1954-1957. Benelux breathes new life into Europe" on page 163 to 180.

In 1944 and 1945 large parts of Europe were left in chaos for months at a time. The Second World War – easily the most destructive war in history – had devastated not only the physical infrastructure, but also the institutions that held countries together.

Postwar tells of Europe's recovery from the devastation; of the decline and fall of Soviet communism and the rise of the EC and EU; of the end of Europe's empires; and of Europe's uneasy and changing relationships with the memory of the war and with the two great powers that bracket it, Russian and America.

Written by specialist contributors from Italy, Germany, and Japan, as well as the Allied nations, the companion provides unique world-wide coverage of the subject. Every aspect of the war is covered.

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Colloque du Groupe de liaison des historiens auprès des Communautés (1e : 1984 : Strasbourg)

Table of contents: The crisis of 1947 -- the Committee of European Economic Co-operation -- The European recovery programme-- France and the control of German resources-- The depoliticization of the OEEC -- Foreign trade and payments and European reconstruction -- The advent of the customs union -- Payments agreements and policies in Western Europe, 1946-9 -- Devaluation and the search for a new American policy -- the European payments union -- The 1949 recession and the divergence of Britain and little Europe -- the Schuman plan -- Towards the common market -- Conclusions.