The horrific World War II and its aftermath had devastated the world’s physical resources and wounded the national sentiments of all the countries involved.
The only way to mitigate the resentment was by integrating the European nations under a single authority based on democracy and equality. Winston Churchill, in a speech delivered at the University of Zurich in 1946, advocated the need for the emergence of a ‘United States of Europe’.
The most decisive moment in European federal history happened in 1948 during the Hague Congress, a meeting involving 750 delegates from around the world. The panel led to the creation of two critical bodies: firstly, the European Movement International, which was an association of several organisations and national councils that would work towards the integration of Europe, and secondly, the College of Europe, a University for postgraduates, where Europe’s future leaders would live and study together.
The Congress also sowed the seeds for the founding of the Council of Europe in 1949, focusing more on inculcating democratic ideals and human rights rather than economic or trade issues.
However, the Council of Europe could not progress much or live up to expectations. In 1952, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany took a bold step. They created the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), which was declared “a first step in the federation of Europe”.
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