Paper Summary:

The paper shows how the primary factors contributing to European integration were largely political and ideological; it was the French wariness of Germany, the Western fear of Communism and Germany's will to be accepted again that drove the integration forward. Nevertheless, the paper explains how for most countries, the economic component was still essential. The paper also highlights how the European integration was based on a reaction to external and internal pressures, rather than on an inherent sense of a common European ideology.

From the Paper:

"In the wake of the Second World War (WWII) most of the European countries, particularly Germany, found themselves in a state physical and economic devastation. WWII left more than 40 million dead and a strong urgency for some form of European cooperation (Gowland and Cornwall, 2000, p.13). Hence, the following paper sets out to examine the relative significance of international, political and economic factors in promoting moves towards European integration in the period from 1945 till 1957. McCormick (2008, p.45) identifies three original priorities in promoting European integration: prevention of new conflicts, post-war economic recovery and security against the threats posed by the cold war. However, the differences between the various European countries regarding their motivation for the integration played a crucial role, as did the US, which showed an increasing interest in a united Europe, and most notably an integrated Germany."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Dedman, M.J. (2000) The origins and development of the European Union 1945-95: a history of European integration. Routledge, London.
• Dinan, D. (2004) Europe recast: a history of European Union. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.
• Dinan, D. (2005) Ever closer union: and introduction to European integration. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.
• Gowland, D. and Cornwall, M. (2000) The historical legacy in: Gowland, D., O'Neill, B., Dunphy, R. (eds.) The European mosaic: contemporary politics, economics and culture, p.1-26. Pearson Education, Harlow.
• Hearden, P.J. (2006) 'Early American views regarding European unification', Cambridge Review of International Affairs, vol.19-1, p.67-78.

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