The European Coal and Steel Community was not the first attempt to set up a more organised form of international cooperation between the European countries. Especially during the period following the First World War, the idea of a united Europe became a serious proposition. The goal was a united, peaceful Europe which would make war between its countries impossible.

The League of Nations

Immediately after the First World War there was an attempt through the Treaty of Versailles to organise the countries into what was known as the League of Nations, which would safeguard peace effectively and promote cooperation between countries.

However, the League of Nations was not only for European countries, but could be viewed as a precursor to the United Nations. The League of Nations was based on acceptance of the sovereignty of Member States, and the idea was that the Member States should resolve any conflicts in a peaceful manner by way of conciliation and arbitration, and there was also the possibility of economic sanctions. The League of Nations was not, however, as effective as had been hoped, and never came to include all the major powers. The USA never became a member and, as soon as the USSR became a member, the then Nazi Germany and afterwards Japan withdrew. The League of Nations was officially wound up in 1946, but by that time it had not really functioned for several years.

The UN

After the Second World War, attempts to create a peacekeeping framework first focused on the United Nations (UN), which was already set up in 1945. The use of force in international relations was prohibited, and the Security Council was given powers to ensure that that prohibition was respected.

The OEEC

One of the first initiatives for European economic cooperation was taken in 1948 when the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) was set up. The OEEC was based on traditional intergovernmental cooperation between independent states. The main task of the organisation was to administer Marshall Aid, which was an extensive American aid programme aimed at the reconstruction of war-ravaged Europe after the Second World War. In 1961, the OEEC was reorganised into the OECD and at the same time began to admit non-European countries, including the USA and Japan. 

The Hague Congress, the European Movement and the Council of Europe

In parallel with the establishment of the OEEC, other initiatives on European cooperation were taken. The various organisations which were working for a new form of cooperation between the Western European countries held a Congress in The Hague in May 1948.

The primary aims of the Congress were a ‘EuropeanAssembly’, a charter of human rights and a court of justice to protect those rights. The Congress was chaired by the former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, and among the other participants were a number of politicians who later came to play central roles in connection with the formation of the European Coal and Steel Community and the EEC, including Robert Schuman.

After the Hague Congress a new organisation, the European Movement, continued the work to achieve its aims. Subsequently the Council of Europe was set up in 1949 as a forum for broader cooperation between the European countries.

However, in most countries of Western Europe there were powerful movements which wanted to go further in the organisation of European cooperation. In their view, traditional international cooperation was not sufficient to solve the great economic, social and security problems facing Europe at the time. This wish to enter into new forms of international cooperation resulted in the Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950 and the subsequent formation of the European Coal and Steel Community.