ABSTRACT
The move towards closer western European co-operation has been the most striking development since the end of the Second World War. The initial move towards European integration took place alongside the Berlin blockade, which, although lifted in May 1949, resulted in the formation of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The division of Germany only served to accelerate the desire to draw up a joint programme of needs, resources and requirements to consolidate western Europe. The roots and antecedents of European integration can be traced back to the 1920s and 1930s, but the Second World War and the experience of occupation under Hitler’s so-called ‘new order’ provided a new impetus for pan-European union. The German situation is rapidly becoming a cancer that will be dangerous to peace in the near future, and to France immediately, if its development is not directed towards hope for the Germans and collaboration with the free peoples.
