The Treaty of Economic, Social and Cultural Collaboration and Collective Self-Defence, signed in Brussels on 17 March 1948 by Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. It enters into force on 25 August 1948. Although this Treaty provides only for ‘cooperation’ between the contracting parties, ‘which will be effected through the Consultative Council referred to in Article VII’, and it does not provide for the establishment of an international organisation, in practice it leads to the creation of an organisation known as the ‘Brussels Treaty Organisation’ or ‘Western Union’.

On 3 October 1954, in London, in response to the failure to establish the European Defence Community (EDC) on 29 August 1954, the Nine Powers (Belgium, Canada, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States) sign the agreements which pave the way for the Federal Republic of Germany to accede to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and for the conversion of Western Union into Western European Union (WEU). From left to right: Gaetano Martino, Italian Foreign Minister, Antony Eden, British Foreign Secretary, Konrad Adenauer, German Chancellor, Pierre Mendès France, President of the French Council, and Lester B. Pearson, Canadian Secretary of State for External Affairs.

From 28 September to 3 October 1954, a conference attended by the Foreign Ministers of the United States, Canada, Italy, the Federal Republic of Germany and the five Member States of the Brussels Treaty is held at Lancaster House, London, with the aim of finding a solution to the questions of organisation and defence in Western Europe.

Am 5. Oktober 1954, nach dem Abschluß der Londoner Neunmächtekonferenz, erläutert der Bundeskanzler Konrad Adenauer vor dem Bundestag die Tragweite der getroffenen Vereinbarungen.

On 6 October 1954, British cartoonist Leslie Gilbert Illingworth illustrates the difficulties experienced by the French and German delegations in reaching agreement at the Nine-Power Conference held in London from 28 September to 3 October 1954.

On 21 October 1954, at the Nine-Power Conference in Paris, the Foreign Ministers of Belgium, Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States resume the discussions started at the London Conference, held from 28 September to 3 October 1954, on the subject of European security and integration against the background of an Atlantic community in the throes of development.

On 21 October 1954, in Paris, the Governments of Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom decide to convene a working party on 17 January 1955 to be responsible for considering the issue of the production and standardisation of armaments with a view to submitting proposals to the Council of Western European Union when it is established.

In his memoirs, Anthony Eden, British Foreign Minister from 1951 to 1955, describes the negotiation process at the Nine-Power Conference held in London from 28 September to 3 October 1954.

On 22 October 1954, in Brussels, the North Atlantic Council adopts a resolution which seeks to enhance the collective defence system in Europe, to step up the integration of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces and to increase the powers and responsibilities of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).

On 22 October 1954, at a meeting in Brussels, the North Atlantic Council adopts a resolution in which it welcomes the extension of the Brussels Treaty to include the Federal Republic of Germany and Italy, the cooperation being established between Western European Union (WEU) and NATO and the decision taken by the US, Canadian and British Governments to continue to station their troops on the European mainland.

On 22 October 1954, the North Atlantic Council adopts a resolution which enthusiastically welcomes the declaration made on 3 October by the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the corresponding declaration made by France, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Diese Karte illustriert die Entstehung der Westeuropäischen Union (WEU), die im Jahr 1955 an die Stelle der Westunion (WU) tritt. Im Rahmen der Pariser Verträge wird das Protokoll zur Änderung und Ergänzung des Brüsseler Vertrags aus dem Jahr 1948 am 23. Oktober 1954 in der französischen Hauptstadt unterzeichnet und tritt am 6. Mai 1955 in Kraft.

The Brussels Treaty of 17 March 1948, modified and completed by the protocols signed in Paris on 23 October 1954 which enter into force on 6 May 1955. The Federal Republic of Germany and Italy accede to the modified Treaty. The ‘Consultative Council’ becomes the ‘Council of Western European Union’ (Article VIII), and the organisation established by the Treaty is renamed ‘Western European Union’ (WEU).

Dates of deposit of the instruments of ratification of the Protocol modifying and completing the Brussels Treaty of 17 March 1948. Pursuant to its Article VI, the Protocol entered into force on 6 May 1955, the date of the deposit of the Federal Republic of Germany’s instrument of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty.

On 23 October 1954, in Paris, the five Member States of Western Union (France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg), together with Italy and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), sign the Protocol Modifying and Completing the Brussels Treaty of 1948, thereby establishing Western European Union. From left to right: Konrad Adenauer, Joseph Bech, Paul-Henri Spaak, Pierre Mendès France and Gaetano Martino.

Die Pariser Verträge vom 23. Oktober 1954 stellen die Souveränität der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (BRD) wieder her, die somit als Vollmitglied dem Atlantischen Bündnis beitritt, und gründen die Westeuropäische Union (WEU).

From left to right: Pierre Mendès France, Konrad Adenauer, Anthony Eden and John Foster Dulles answer journalists’ questions at a press conference held after the signing of the Paris Agreements on 23 October 1954.

On 25 October 1954, after the failure of the European Defence Community (EDC), the Dutch daily newspaper Het Parool welcomes the signing of the Paris Agreements establishing Western European Union (WEU), and considers them to be an essential stage in the European unification process.

On 27 October 1954, in an article published in the Brussels daily newspaper La Dernière Heure, Roger Motz, member of the Belgian Senate and leader of the Belgian Liberal Party, emphasises the numerous advantages, particularly in military terms, resulting from the Paris Agreements, and highlights the efforts made by the British, French and German leaders to achieve this outcome.

‘The last obstacle?’ In October 1954, the cartoonist Behrendt shows the European countries cooperating to overcome their differences in order to work together for the unity of Western Europe.

In this note sent to the Belgian Foreign Minister, Paul-Henri Spaak, on 30 October 1954, Robert Silvercruys, Belgian Ambassador to the United States, tells of the satisfaction in the United States that greeted the signing, on 23 October 1954, of the Paris Agreements establishing Western European Union (WEU).

In November 1954, Paolo Emilio Taviani, Italian Defence Minister, emphasises the importance of Western European Union (WEU) for the military security of the European continent.

On 21 December 1954, in an address to the Italian Parliament, Pietro Nenni, leader of the Socialists, declares his opposition to Italy’s ratification of the Paris Agreements, since he sees them as an obstacle to the policy of détente in Europe.

On 22 December 1954, Gaetano Martino, Italian Foreign Minister, outlines the advantages of Western European Union (WEU) to the Chamber of Deputies and calls for Italy’s ratification of the Paris Agreements.

Im Jahr 1955 warnt die Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (KPD) gegen die Gefahren der Pariser Verträge, die ihrer Ansicht nach fatal für den Frieden sind und den Interessen Deutschlands zuwider laufen.

On 7 January 1955, the Belgian conservative daily newspaper La Nation belge analyses the debates taking place in France on the question of the ratification of the Paris Agreements and emphasises the Communists’ opposition to the establishment of a Western European Union (WEU).

On 20 January 1955, the Soviet satirical magazine Krokodil lambasts France’s ratification of the Paris Agreements, by which it appears to be leaving itself vulnerable to the threat of a rearmed and revanchist Germany.

Im Februar 1955 rufen mehrere Verbände der Kommunistischen Partei Deutschlands zum Protest gegen die Ratifizierung der Pariser Verträge vom 23. Oktober 1954 auf, die ihrer Ansicht nach die deutsch-französischen Beziehungen gefährden und den Frieden zwischen der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (BRD) und der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (DDR) aufs Spiel setzen.

In 1955, Eugen Kogon, European federalist and founder of the journal Frankfurter Hefte, paints a very critical picture of the year 1954 with regard to European unification on a supranational basis.

On 10 March 1955, the US President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, sends to the governments of Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom a letter in which he sets out the reasons why the United States welcomes the establishment of Western European Union (WEU) and his ideas on how relations between WEU and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) should be structured.

On 7 May 1955, in application of Article VIII of the Modified Brussels Treaty, the Council of Western European Union (WEU) approves the establishment in Paris of a Standing Armaments Committee (SAC) to be responsible for seeking joint solutions to the needs of the member States in terms of equipment. The SAC undertakes in particular to promote agreements or arrangements on subjects such as the research and development, standardisation, production and supply of armaments.

On 7 May 1955, the Council of Western European Union (WEU) holds its first meeting in Paris, with, in particular, the Belgian delegation represented by the Belgian Foreign Minister, Paul-Henri Spaak (second from the right), and the United Kingdom delegation represented by the British Foreign Secretary, Harold Macmillan (on the left, with arms raised), who chairs the meeting.

On 7 and 11 May 1955, the first Council of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of Western European Union (WEU) is held in Paris. Simultaneously, the North Atlantic Council meets in ministerial session at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris to give official recognition to the Federal Republic of Germany’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

On 11 May 1955, the Foreign Ministers of Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom sign in Paris the Agreement on the Status of Western European Union (WEU), National Representatives and International Staff.

On 11 June 1955, the Belgian daily newspaper La Gazette de Liège welcomes the establishment of Western European Union (WEU) and sees it as an important starting point on the road to European unity.

On 5 and 8 July 1955, in Strasbourg, the first sitting of the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU) is held in the Hemicycle of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, attended by the delegations of Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

On 5 and 8 July 1955, in Strasbourg, the first session of the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU) is held in the Hemicycle of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, attended by the delegations of Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

On 5 July 1955, Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian Foreign Minister and President of the Council of Western European Union (WEU), gives an address at the first session of the Assembly of WEU

On 21 April 1955, Johan Willem Beyen, Netherlands Foreign Minister, deliveres a speech on the multiple challenges of European integration, particularly on defense issues.

In his memoirs, Anthony Eden, British Foreign Secretary from 1951 to 1955, describes the final negotiations and the signing, on 23 October 1954 in Paris, of the Agreements establishing Western European Union (WEU).

In diesem Interview spricht Gaston Thorn, ehemaliges Mitglied der Beratenden Versammlung des Europarates und der Versammlung der Westeuropäischen Union (WEU), über die Rolle dieser Beschlussorgane bei der Ausbildung eines europäischen Geistes und eines Bewusstseins der politischen, wirtschaftlichen und militärischen Herausforderungen im Vereinten Europa.

On 24 May 1952, the Federal Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer (centre), meets British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden (on the left), US Secretary of State Dean Acheson and French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman (on the right), to discuss the final outstanding questions relating to the future Convention on relations between the Three Powers and the Federal Republic of Germany.

On 26 May 1952, Robert Schuman, French Foreign Minister, arrives in Bonn for the signing of the Convention on relations between the Three Powers and the Federal Republic of Germany.

On 26 May 1952, the US Secretary of State, Dean Acheson, signs the Bonn Agreements, which aim to put an end to the occupation status of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and enable the gradual reestablishment of German sovereignty. This Convention is due to take effect upon the entry into force of the Treaty establishing the European Defence Community (EDC).

On 26 May 1952, the Federal Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, signs the Convention on relations between the Three Powers and the Federal Republic of Germany. The Bonn Agreements grant sovereignty to the FRG, with certain restrictions, upon the entry into force of the Treaty establishing the European Defence Community (EDC).

On 26 May 1952, the British Foreign Secretary, Anthony Eden, signs the Convention on relations between the Three Powers and the Federal Republic of Germany, which grants sovereignty to the FRG, with certain restrictions, upon the entry into force of the Treaty establishing the European Defence Community (EDC).

On 26 May 1952, in Bonn, the French Foreign Minister, Robert Schuman, signs the Convention on relations between the Three Powers and the Federal Republic of Germany, which grants sovereignty to the FRG, with certain restrictions, upon the entry into force of the Treaty establishing the European Defence Community (EDC).

On 26 May 1952, France, the United States, the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) sign the Convention on relations between the Three Powers and the FRG, which grants sovereignty to the FRG, with certain restrictions, after the entry into force of the Treaty establishing the European Defence Community (EDC).

Heinrich von Brentano, Vorsitzender der CDU-Bundestagsfraktion, schildert in seiner Rede vom 7. August 1954 die Ergebnisse der Londoner Neun-Mächte-Konferenz, welche der Bundesrepublik den Beitritt zur Westeuropäischen Union und zum Nordatlantikpakt ermöglichen.

Vertrag über die Beziehungen zwischen der Bundesrepublik Deutschland und den Drei Mächten in der gemäß Liste I zu dem am 23. Oktober 1954 in Paris unterzeichneten Protokoll über die Beendigung des Besatzungsregimes in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland geänderten Fassung.

In 1954, pacifist demonstrators march through the streets of Munich protesting against German rearmament, sanctioned by the Paris Agreements signed on 23 October 1954.

Im Jahr 1954 lehnt der Bund der Deutschen, eine den Kommunisten nahe stehende westdeutsche Partei, die Wiederbewaffnung der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (BRD) ab und ruft dazu auf, die Pariser Verträge nicht zu ratifizieren.

‘Welcome to Konrad and his men.’ In 1954, the cartoonist Fritz Behrendt depicts the forthcoming accession of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), which is presented as an impregnable fortress.

‘To cut a long story short, the West puts West Germany on the map, following the principle of free choice for the nations.’ In January 1955, Opland, Dutch cartoonist, describes the rearmament process of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG).

Angesichts der militärischen Bedrohung durch die Sowjetunion spricht sich der unabhängige und republikanische westdeutsche Bund aktiver Demokraten e.V., der sich für die freiheitliche und demokratische Grundordnung einsetzt, im Jahr 1955 für den Wiederaufbau einer deutschen Armee aus.

Im Jahr 1955 bringt die Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (KPD) ihre Ablehnung gegenüber der Blockpolitik zum Ausdruck, indem sie die Pariser Verträge und die Nordatlantikpaktorganisation (OTAN) angreift und sich gleichzeitig für die Einrichtung einer gemeinsamen Verteidigung in Europa ausspricht.

On 20 April 1955, in connection with the implementation of the various provisions of the Paris Agreements, James B. Conant, High Commissioner of the US zone of occupation and US Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from 1953 to 1957, deposits the ratification instruments for the Protocol on the Termination of the Occupation Regime in the FRG with the Federal Government. The photo shows the Federal Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, giving an address at the Palais Schaumburg in Bonn to emphasise the importance of the event.

Am 5. Mai 1955, anläßlich der Beendigung des Besatzungsregimes in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, faßt die Bundesregierung der BRD eine Proklamation ab zum Tag der Souveränität.

Am 5. Mai 1955 begrüßt Konrad Adenauer, Kanzler der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (BRD), in einer Rundfunkansprache die Beendigung des Besatzungsregimes in der Bundesrepublik.

On 5 May 1955, in Bonn, Sir Frederick Hoyer Millar (left), British High Commissioner in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), and the German Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer (centre), sign the agreements which officially put an end to the occupation of the FRG by the three Western allied powers.

Am 5. Mai 1955 unterstreicht das Bulletin des Presse- und Informationsamtes der Bundesregierung die Bedeutung der Wiedergewinnung der Souveränität durch die Beendigung des Besatzungsregimes in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (BRD).

On 6 May 1955, in Paris, Chancellor Konrad Adenauer signs the official accession of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) to the North Atlantic Treaty.

Am 10. Mai 1955, am Tag nach dem Beitritt der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (BRD) zum Nordatlantikpakt (NATO), berichtet die deutsche Tageszeitung Süddeutsche Zeitung über den Ablauf der Beitrittszeremonie Palais de Chaillot in Paris.

‘At the head of the North Atlantic Union.’ On 30 May 1955, the Soviet satirical publication Krokodil denounces the Federal Republic of Germany’s membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and attacks the Nazi military past of the German Generals in the Alliance.

On 6 June 1955, the Dutch daily newspaper Het Parool outlines the efforts made by the German Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, to speed up the process of rearmament in the Federal Republic of Germany.

Am 12. November 1955, anläßlich der Ernennung der ersten freiwilligen Soldaten zur Bundeswehr, hält der Bundesverteidigungsminister Theodor Blank eine Ansprache in Bonn.

On 12 November 1955, in Bonn, Theodor Blank, West German Defence Minister, presents the first 101 Bundeswehr volunteers with their instrument of appointment.

On 20 January 1956 in Andernach, German Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer addresses the first recruits of the new Bundeswehr.

Im Juli 1955 verabschiedet der Deutsche Bundestag das Freiwilligengesetz und schafft damit die Grundlage für die Rekrutierung der ersten Freiwilligen in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (BRD). Die neue Bundeswehr und die Luftwaffe veröffentlichen ab 1956 Plakate, um ihre ersten Soldaten zu rekrutieren.

Im Jahr 1954 rufen die französische Kommunistische Partei (PCF) und die Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (KPD) das französische und das deutsche Volk gemeinsam dazu auf, die Bonner und Pariser Verträge nicht zu ratifizieren, und bekräftigen ihren Einsatz im Kampf für den Frieden.

Im Jahr 1956 veröffentlicht der Presse- und Informationsdienst der deutschen Bundesregierung ein Plakat, das die Verdienste der Nordatlantikpaktorganisation (NATO) hervorhebt. Seit dem 9. Mai 1955 ist die Bundesrepublik Deutschland (BRD) Vollmitglied der NATO.

Im Mai 1957 hält der deutsche Bundeskanzler und Außenminister Konrad Adenauer während des Rates der Außenminister der Nordatlantischen Vertragsorganisation (NATO) ein Rede, in der er die Bedeutung der NATO angesichts der Bedrohung durch die Sowjetunion hervorhebt.

Mit dem Koreakrieg (1950-1953) wird die kommunistische Bedrohung deutlicher spürbar als je zuvor. Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland (BRD) setzt unter der Führung Bundeskanzler Konrad Adenauers alles daran, sich politisch und militärisch an den Westen zu binden. Daraus ergaben sich das Ende des Besatzungsstatuts, der Beitritt zur Nordatlantischen Vertragsorganisation im Jahre 1954, die Gründung einer neuen Armee im Jahre 1955 und die Unterzeichnung der Römischen Verträge im Jahre 1957 nach dem Scheitern des Plans einer Europäischen Verteidigungsgemeinschaft (EVG).

Anlässlich des dreißigsten Jahrestages der Londoner Akte vom 3. Oktober 1954 verfolgt die französische Tageszeitung Le Monde in ihrer Ausgabe vom 30. September 1984 die Ereignisse zurück, die schließlich zur Wiederbewaffnung Westdeutschlands führten.

On 20 January 1956, in Andernach, the German Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, and his Minister for Defence, Theodor Blank, review the volunteers of the new Bundeswehr.

On 18 June 1954, the Dutch daily newspaper Het Vrije Volk comments on the efforts made by the Soviet Union to link the economies of its satellite states with its own economic development.

On 22 March 1955, the Dutch daily newspaper Het Parool comments on Moscow’s desire to establish a military alliance known as the Warsaw Pact.

On 10 May 1955, the French daily newspaper Le Figaro emphasises that the Warsaw Conference (11–14 May 1955), which culminated in the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance (Warsaw Pact), simply confirms the state of affairs existing since the Korean War.

From 11 to 14 May 1955, the Conference of European Countries for the Preservation of Peace and Security in Europe is held in Warsaw. The communiqués published during the Conference refer to the agenda of the first three days.

Table showing the composition of the delegations from the USSR, Poland, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic (GDR), Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania to the Warsaw Conference for the preservation of peace and security in Europe, held in Warsaw from 11 to 14 May 1955.

On 14 May 1955, the Soviet delegation, led by Vyacheslav Molotov, signs the Warsaw Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in the presence of the representatives of Albania, Bulgaria, Poland and Romania, as well as a delegate from the People’s Republic of China.

On 17 May 1955, Jean Le Roy, French chargé d'affaires in Moscow, informs Antoine Pinay, French Foreign Minister, of the reactions in the countries of Eastern Europe to the signature three days earlier of the Warsaw Pact.

On 17 May 1955, the French daily newspaper Le Monde considers the political and military issues raised by the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic (GDR), Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union.

On 31 May 1955, the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera discusses the impact of the signing, on 14 May 1955, of the Warsaw Pact, a military agreement concluded between the USSR, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania.

In June 1955, the monthly journal Études soviétiques, published by the Soviet Information Bureau in Paris, prints an article outlining the various obligations resulting from the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance signed by the USSR, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania.

On 30 April 1956, Willi Stoph, the East German Defence Minister, leads the official ceremony to mark the presentation of the colours to the First Mechanised Regiment of the National People’s Army of the German Democratic Republic (GDR).