ABSTRACT
Robert Schuman developed a universal vision of Europe inspired by the Roman Catholic church. After World War II he used his training in economics and his influence in politics to make this vision a reality. With peace restored, Schuman sought to reconstruct Europe in such a way that nationalism and war would never again divide it. His most influential act was the introduction in 1950 of what came to be known as the Schuman Plan, though it had, in fact, originated with the economist Jean Monnet. The plan called for the creation of a Common Market in European coal and steel. The European Coal and Steel Community created by Schuman became the core institution of economic union in Europe during the second half of the twentieth century. In 1957 the Treaty of Rome created the European Economic Community that went beyond coal and steel to integrate entire economies of member states—France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Schuman's native Luxembourg.
