How Did The Franco-german Alli

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The man responsible for concocting this idea is a man by the name of Robert Schuman, the French Foreign Minister from 1948 to 1953. He announced his plan in 1950, a plan which he said was
" the first step in the realisation of a vision, a vision of a united Europe which would have Franco-German reconciliation at its heart." To put it simply, the Scuman Plan as it was called, would unite countries into an alliance in which all customs barriers against the trade of coal and steel would be abolished to create a commun market for these products, and at the same time, would improve relations between France and Germany if the latter accepts the alliance.

The choice of the coal and steel industry made sense because these two sectors were the most important economic sectors at the time, coal being the prime source of energy. This was to be more than a simple free trade agreement because the attainment of common measures in politics depended on mutual agreements between States.

In ...

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its sovereign power in order to secure a degree of international control over German coal and steel. The ECSC was even proclaimed as a solution to the long-standing political problems posed by Franco-German relations; there was hope that the common market would encourage a spirit of, not only economic, but political co-operation between the two countries. Schuman was even quoted as saying that " the solidarity in production thus established will make it plain that any war between France and Germany becomes not merely unthinkable but actually impossible." The French also saw this treaty as an opportunity for a "rapprochement" with Germany, and as a chance to establish its leadership in ...

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