In 1945, the German town of Wesel, located on the banks of the River Rhine, is partly destroyed by Allied bombings, giving the impression of a lunar landscape.
The first mass movements begin with the advance of the Red Army westward. At the end of the Second World War, West Germany has to accommodate some 12 million refugees.
At the press conference which concludes the Fontainebleau Summit held from 25 to 26 June 1984, François Mitterrand, President of the French Republic, holds aloft the first European passport. From 1985, the European passport is to be introduced in Italy, France, Denmark, Ireland and Luxembourg.
On 26 February 1999, in Bonn, on the margins of the informal summit of Heads of State or Government of the Fifteen, German farmers protest against the agricultural reforms provided for by Agenda 2000.
