ABSTRACT
‘The general debate and indeed the whole session were charged with a spirit of unity, of purpose, and of hope more complete than the Assembly had ever before attained or was ever destined to regain’. The return of Robert Cecil as a British delegate underlined the point. It was a meaningful anniversary and speech after another paid tribute to the League’s successes and future prospects a decade after its creation. An awareness of the vulnerability of the European economy in the face of its vast American counterpart strengthened a common belief in many quarters that European states had to act collectively rather than attempting to compete individually. During the summer of 1929, Briand began to drop hints about his intention to raise the idea on the European diplomatic stage. The European Union proposal launched by Briand made headlines but would really only come to the fore of international negotiations once the French plan was released the following May.
