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The European idea
The European idea
The European idea
TexteThe European idea
‘European unity' from the Luxemburger Wort (21 May 1946)
TexteOn 21 May 1946, the Catholic daily newspaper Luxemburger Wort speculates on the historic meaning of European unity in the light of the American and Soviet blocs.
Winston Churchill visits Metz (14 July 1946)
ImageOn 14 July 1946, French national day, Winston Churchill, former British Prime Minister, visits the City of Metz. After reviewing the troops with Robert Schuman, MP for the Moselle, and General Julliot, Governor of Metz, he delivers an address in support of European unity.
Address given by Winston Churchill (Metz, 14 July 1946)
ImageOn 14 July 1946, French national day, Winston Churchill, former British Prime Minister, delivers an address in Metz in support of European unity.
Front page of Le Courrier de Metz on Winston Churchill’s visit to Metz (15 and 16 July 1946)
TexteOn 15 July 1946, the front page of the French daily newspaper Le Courrier de Metz illustrates the historic visit of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to Metz and emphasises the importance of his speech in favour of European unity.
‘What is Europe?’ from the Aachener Nachrichten (27 August 1946)
TexteOn 27 August 1946, assessing the aftermath of the Second World War, the German daily newspaper Aachener Nachrichten considers the meaning of European unity and the return to human values.
‘The resurrection of Europe’ from Paraat (11 October 1946)
TexteOn 11 October 1946, following the end of the Second World War, the weekly journal Paraat, mouthpiece of the Dutch Socialist Party, considers the meaning of the ideal of European unity.
‘Europe’ from Die Welt (15 February 1947)
TexteOn 15 February 1947, the lead story in the German daily newspaper Die Welt reports on the determination in Europe to work actively for the unification of the continent.
Interview with Emery Reves in Fédération (April 1947)
TexteIn April 1947, in the French journal Fédération, the journalist Emery Reves, author of the best seller The Anatomy of Peace, argues in favour of the establishment of an international federal government.
‘How much longer can Europe wait?’ from Die österreichische Furche (31 May 1947)
TexteOn 31 May 1947, the Viennese weekly publication Die österreichische Furche criticises the lack of initiative taken by European governments to achieve the vital creation of a federation in Europe.
Extract from an address given by Pierre Dupong (Luxembourg, 11 April 1948)
SonOn 11 April 1948, in a radio broadcast, Pierre Dupong, Luxembourg Minister of State, underlines the importance of achieving European solidarity in order to put an end once and for all to armed conflict in Europe.
‘Let us build Europe, but our security must be guaranteed’ from Le Phare Dimanche (9 May 1948)
TexteOn 9 May 1948, the Brussels weekly publication Le Phare Dimanche comments with a degree of scepticism on the initiatives for European unity and particularly emphasises the need to guarantee Europe’s security against the USSR.
Address given by Carlo Sforza (Perugia, 18 July 1948)
TexteOn 18 July 1948, in an address given at the University of Perugia, Count Carlo Sforza, Italian Foreign Minister, summarises the historical development of the European idea and calls on his fellow countrymen to work actively towards the unification of the continent.
‘No United Europe while Britain stays Socialist’ from the Daily Mail (3 September 1948)
TexteOn 3 September 1948, quoting the American journalist, Walter Lippmann, the British daily newspaper Daily Mail comments on the attitude of the Labour Government towards European unity. It notes that Marshall Aid and Western Union will remain ineffective if the British Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, and his Foreign Secretary, Ernest Bevin, do not alter the course of British domestic and foreign policy.
Address given by Emery Reves (Luxembourg, 5 September 1948)
TexteOn 5 September 1948, the journalist Emery Reves, author of the best seller The Anatomy of Peace, gives an address to the World Federalist Congress in Luxembourg.
Cartoon by Low on General de Gaulle’s European idea (19 November 1948)
ImageOn 19 November 1948, British cartoonist David Low portrays Charles de Gaulle, leader of the Provisional Government of the French Republic from 1944 to 1946, who reveals his very personal take on the idea of Europe to US President Harry Truman and British Prime Minister Clement Attlee.
‘Unity and discord in Europe’ from the Internationale Spectator (6 September 1950)
TexteOn 6 September 1950, the Dutch journal Internationale Spectator reports on the various movements promoting European unity and draws attention to the obstacles that they are facing.
Interview with Paul Collowald (Sanem, 28 June 2002) — Excerpt: the address delivered by Winston Churchill in Metz on 14 July 1946
VidéoIn this interview, Paul Collowald, former journalist on the daily newspaper Le Nouvel Alsacien and former European correspondent in Alsace for the daily newspaper Le Monde, describes the political implications of the address delivered in Metz on 14 July 1946, the French national day, by Winston Churchill, former British Prime Minister, in support of European unity.
Interview with Otto von Habsburg-Lothringen : Jean Monnet (Pöcking, 5 and 6 February 2004)
VidéoIn this private interview, Archduke Otto von Habsburg-Lothringen, President of the International Paneuropean Union, distinguishes Jean Monnet’s technocratic vision of a united Europe from the more visionary perception of Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi, founder of the Paneuropean Union.
Interview with Jean-Pierre Gouzy (Paris, 19 October 2007) — Excerpt: the stirrings of pro-European movements after 1945
VidéoIn this interview, journalist Jean-Pierre Gouzy, a former Member of the Executive of the French Movement for the United States of Europe and of the French Union of Federalists, identifies the reasons for the proliferation of pro-European movements after the Second World War.
Interview with Jean-Pierre Gouzy (Paris, 19 October 2007) — Excerpt: the pro-European tendency in France after 1945
VidéoIn this interview, journalist Jean-Pierre Gouzy, former Member of the Executive of the French Movement for the United States of Europe and of the French Union of Federalists, recalls the origins of the pro-European tendency in France after the Second World War.
Interview with Jean-Pierre Gouzy (Paris, 19 October 2007) — Excerpt: the origins of his federalist commitment
VidéoIn this interview, journalist Jean-Pierre Gouzy, former Member of the Executive of the French Movement for the United States of Europe and of the French Union of Federalists, explains the reasons for his commitment to European federalism.