ABSTRACT
Inspired by the philosophy of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), some Europeans at the end of World War II hoped that a federation of democratic republics could be the basis for perpetual peace (in stark contrast to the conflicts of the first half of the twentieth century). British Prime Minister Winston Churchill saw a “United States of Europe” that could balance U.S. influence (and possibly prevent U.S. dominance) in the postwar era. French President Charles DeGaulle envisioned a “Europe of States” that would enhance the sovereignty and status of all its members. Many Europeans-especially the French-also supported it to help solve “the German problem”—to entrench Germany in an integrated set of regionally based supranational institutions so that no other country would be dominated by it.
