There is a remedy which, if it were generally and spontaneously adopted by a great majority of people in many lands, would as by a miracle transform the whole scene and would in a few years make all Europe, or the greater part of it, as free and happy as Switzerland is today.
This is an excerpt from a speech delivered by Winston Churchill in 1946 in Zurich in which he identified Franco- German reconciliation and the establishment of a European organization as conditions of peace and liberty throughout the continent. The First World War led to the development of the need for a concrete European entity, by building consensus on the need for a united Europe. However, none of the models proposed either by Coudenhove-Kalergi or Aristide Briand were successful in achieving the desired objective
[...] The realization of the idea of a unified Europe would put Britain in a position to play the role of a “buffer Between the USSR and the other powers. This speech had a huge impact as it heralded the rebirth of the Pan- European idea launched by Coundenhove-Kalergi, and almost forgotten because of the Nazi uprising and the outbreak of the 2nd World War. In Public opinion, the speech was perceived as having the right concepts, but the theories were not backed by actions and set timelines. [...]
[...] Political and diplomatic cooperation between the various European states The OEEC has provided the European economy with a new lease of life. However, international relations have deteriorated to the point where the lack of diplomatic and military cooperation is threatening the survival of a unified Europe. The year 1947 marks the official beginning of the open Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Raymond Aron terms this situation of conflict as unlikely war, but an impossible peace”. [...]
[...] The supporters of this structure believe that the union of Europe must allow for joint exercises of sovereignty, and the establishment of a political authority by means of a democratic process. However, even within this group, there are different organizations with different views on certain aspects of the integration process, even though they agree on the general policy. The Union of European Federalists (UEF) is a movement inspired by Proudhon, who favored a broad decentralization of European states. However the Committee of the United Socialist states of Europe, founded in 1947 in Montrouge, discussed the establishment of a European federation in tandem with the spread of the socialist model. [...]
[...] The North Atlantic Treaty (NATO) was signed on 4th April 1948, thereby creating an Atlantic Alliance that included the defense of Europe during the Cold War. While the treaty ensured the country's defense, the divergent policies of the different European states were not reconciled. This led to the creation of a European Assembly at the suggestion of Georges Bidault at a board meeting of the western union in July 1948. The creation of the European Assembly was mainly a result of the Hague Congress which was held in May 1948. [...]
[...] The resurgence of the idea of a unified Europe seems certain of success this time, as it envisages cooperation between several bodies, which has hitherto not gone beyond the planning stage. The circumstances that enabled the survival of idea of a unified Europe, between 1945 and 1950, thus need to be analyzed. I-A new life for Europe: the incarnation of the European idea European activism was born in the aftermath of the 2nd Word War. This was embodied in the speech delivered by Winston Churchill in Zurich. [...]
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