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of Churchill's vision and subsequendy
shared ir wich him, knew rhar Europe
- che cradle of modern civi lizarion
- had co change.
Bur firsr Europe, wirh che massive
aid of che U. S. Marshall Plan, had ro
face a more imporranr cballcngc -
che immense srruggle of resmrecring
che industrial mighc of che concinenr
so chac che wheels of a vibranr indus–
rry could rurn once again!
The economic quesrion for chose
visionaries was inexcricably ried ro che
polirical concern : how ro prevenc fu–
cure wars on rhe conrinenr of Europe.
Europe had ro overcome che old ha–
rreds bred by nationalism, which had
raughr "me firsc" and "my counrry -
rigbr or wrong." Especially, Europe
had ro find ways ro buey che age-long
enmicy berween France and Germany.
The limiracions of nacional sover–
eignry were historically obvious -
European uniry was a musr.
False Starts to Real Progress
A number of accemprs ro achievc
uniry were made in rhe immediace
years afrer Word War II , buc rhey
mee wich linle success. Notable
among rhese was che Council of
Europe, esrablished in 1949 in
Srrasbourg. France. The Council of
Europe failed ro bring abour polirical
uniry in Europe because ir was in–
vesred with no real powers. les meec–
ings became inconclusive and fruscrar–
ing diplomacic conferences.
Drawing from che failure of such
earlier acremprs, a complercly new ap–
proach was developed. The new idea,
largely rhe work ofJean Monnec, che
"fachee of che Common Markec," was
ro cransfer ro a single organizarion
real powers over a limited field.
On May
9,
1950 wirh Monner ar
his side, Frencb Foreign Miniscer
Roben Schuman announced ro
Europe a revolurionary idea: "My
governmenr proposes ro place che
whole of che producrion of coal and
sreel in France and Germany under a
common high aurhoriry in an organ–
isarion open ro che parriciparion of
che orher countries of Europe....
22
" Ir will change che desri ny of rhese
regions which for so long have been
used for making che weapons of war
of which chcy have been mosr
frequendy che vicrims. Thc solidar–
ity ... escablished by joinr producrion
will show rhar a war becween France
and Germany becomes nor only un–
rhinkable bur marerially impossible."
The Schuman Declaration Jed ro
che signing of che París Treary on
April 18, 1951 by France, Wesr Ger–
many, Icaly, Belgium, che Nerher–
lands and Luxembourg. The París
Treary formally esrablished che Euro–
pean Coa! and Stccl Communi ty
(ECSC) which began in July of 1952.
This was che firsr European organiza–
ríen ro be given supranational powers
by each of rhe Six. Ir possessed rhe
power ro operare under a single high
aurhoricy, apare from any of rhe na–
cional governmenrs of rhe Six.
The immediare succcss of che Euro–
pean Coal and Steel Communiry Jed
ro orher arremprs in rbe early 1950's
ro form Europcan defcnse and po1iti–
ca1 communicies. Bur che old nemesis
of narionalism haltcd progress.
Europeans again fell back on the
original Monnet idea of increased
powers in a limired arca. Ara confer–
ence in June 1955 in Messina, Italy, ir
was proposed rhar efTorrs be made
coward possible economic union and
joinr development of the peaceful
uses of atomic energy.
On che screngch of a lcngrhy srudy
and repon by rhe committee ser up ac
the Messina Conference and led by
Belgian Foreign Minisrer Paul-Henri
Spaak, rhe six narions of che ESCS
mee in Rome on March 25, 1957 ro
sign rwo new rrearies. These, ro–
gerher, became known as che "Treary
of Rome." These crearies broughr
into effect, as ofJanuary 1, 1958, borh
the European Atomic Energy Com–
munity (known as EURATOM) and
che European Economic Communiry
(rhe EEC or Common Marker).
The Common Market Today
Descriprions of rhe EEC run from
ics being a "supergiant" ro a "robor
wirh six hands" ro "very lirrle more
than a machine for making words." A
crirical appraisal appearing in che
British weekly,
The Economist,
scared
rhar "ics first mych is to call icself
Europe when it is in realiry a self-ccn–
rcred customs union; plus a self-cen–
rered farm policy, pur rogerher by in–
creasingly self-cenrered individual
governments."
There is a bit of truth in all of
rhese daims. Whac cannoc be denied,
however, is rhat che warching world
today is seeing in Europe's economic
miracle only a
beginning~
We havc
said for years, in che pages of
The
PLAIN
TRUTH, rhat Europc will be–
come equally scrong politically and
milirarily - or Europe would ccasc
ro cxisr as more rhan a defuncr and
inward-looking group of second rare,
bickering nations.
Norman MacRae, deputy editor of
The Economist
recognizes chis facr,
roo: "A huge thing is happening in
Europc. They are hammering our thc
constirurion under which more rhan
400 million of usare likely ro be gov–
erned before che end of chis cencury.
And they are hammering it our while
we all precend that rhey are doing no
such rhing."
The eventual goal: polirical union.
Alrcady che Communicy of Six is rhe
world's leading crading power, wirh
20% of rhc world's imports and ex–
porcs crossing its fronciers. (This fig–
ure does not include inrra-Commu–
niry rrade.)
An Event of Hisrorical
Significance
The EEC represenrs a revolurionary
accomplishment on a vasr scale. His–
torian Arnold Toynbee wrires in
European
Ctmlnumity
magazine:
"Voluntary associations becween
sovereign scates are rare enough ro be
historie, and this is parcicularly rrue
of Wesrern Europe.... The creation,
in che ninereenrh century, of a uniccd
Icaly and a unired Germany were
epoch-making evenrs in European his–
rory; bur che Communiry even wirhin
irs original confines, exceeds all
PLAIN TRUTH August 1972
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