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World War II started with the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany. The major powers in Europe all took sides, and very soon there was a widespeard and massive war across all of Europe.
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WWII started with the invasion of Poland by Germany. WWII was the deadliest conflict in human history, killing an estimated 50-70 million people. The war raged for six years, destroying whole cities and causing massive damage. 8 May 1945, Germany surrendered, bringing the war in Europe to an end. This event splinted Europe to the point of destruction, the aftermath setting the scene for European co-operation, with the great powers recognising that war on this scale was not sustainable.
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8 May 1945, Germany surrendered unconditionally, bringing the war in Europe to an end.
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French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman announces a plan for France and Germany to pool coal and steel production and invites other states to join them. He said that the plan would make war between France and Germany "not merely unthinkable but materially impossible." This speech lead to the creation of the ECSC.
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Following the Schuman Declaration, Six countries sign the Treaty of Paris, which establishes the European Coal and Steel Community. 6 countries signed the treaty initially, with more signing later; France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. It sets up a High Authority to manage the coal and steel industries and a Common Assembly, a precursor of the European parliament.
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The six members of the ECSC sign the Treaty of Rome setting up the European Economic Community (EEC). The EEC aimed to create a common market, a customs union and free movement of capital and labour. The EEC formed a more advanced basis for the EU, showing the power of intergovernmental co-operation. The EEC was eventually absorbed into the EU, and no longer functions as a single entity.
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The Merger Treaty combined the executive bodies of the (ECSC),the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC) and the European Economic Community (EEC) into a single institutional structure, the European Communities (EC). This was one step closer to an integration of Europe.
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This expansion broadened the reach of the EC, and enabled more people to participate in the Common Market system
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The Maastricht Treaty was signed on 7 February 1992, and came into effect on 1 November 1993. It formally established the European Union.
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Physical euro banknote and coins entered circulation on 1 January 2002. Most of the EU members now us the euro, some choose not to and remain with their national currency
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Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia join the EU. It is the largest single expansion of the European Union, in terms of territory, number of states and population.
