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The World Of World War II Essay

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World War II resulted in the deaths of over three percent of the 1939 population and saw unprecedented economic damage. Similar to World War I, there was strong European sentiment to prevent such a war from unfolding again, particularly due to the newfound fear associated with nuclear weapons and the extensive civilian toll the war caused. The chief problem with creating benevolent relations between nations was reconciling France and Germany. To ensure Germany could never threaten Europe again, Europe instituted the Monnet Plan, which dismantled German heavy industry and stripped Germany of its coal-producing regions. Germany was also divided into West Germany, which was controlled by Western Europe/NATO and East Germany, which was controlled by the Soviet Union.
As sentiments like Winston Churchill’s 1946 call for United States of Europe became louder, the Council of Europe was established in 1949 as the first pan-European organization. French Foreign Minister, Robert Schuman, on May 9, 1950, proposed the Schuman Declaration, which created a community to integrate the coal and steel industries of Europe in an effort to promote international cooperation and understanding. He chose the coal and steel industries due to their necessity in the production of weaponry. France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and West Germany signed the Treaty of Paris, creating the European Coal and Steel Community, giving birth to cooperative agencies like the Common Assembly. The

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