Aw, c'mon, Kit, you really lost it there. If you start at Brest-Litovsk you could as well start with the fall of the Roman empire in which various Germanic/Gothic people played a big role, with Britain and France on the periphery for a long time - but the arc you draw via Yugoslavia and EU to today is beyond pale. Don't you see that post Schmidt (and Schroeder as straggler) there were never able leaders in Germany? ... and if France, UK, Poland and especially USA coughed, they caught a flu. That has not changed, the "furor Teutonicus" collapsed with WWII (after just reawakening under Prussia) and ever since they have been trying to be a good vassal to you know who - and carried the cost of many a misadventure, including Israel and EU. So what purpose does your counter-factual article serve? Think about it - and keep in mind that there's an obvious and plausible guess.
1. The opening sentence confuses me: not Germany, but the already existing BeNeLux was the fundament of the EU. 1943: BeNeLux: Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg: the governments of the three Benelux countries sign a monetary agreement. The objective is to create a framework for transactions and to strengthen economic ties. The historical overview: https://www.benelux.int/en/information-for-citizens/benelux-union/about-us/history
Germany joined later, when the European Coal and Steel Treaty Community was created, and part of this community was also the Benelux, together with Italy and France. The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was primarily planned and authored by Jean Monnet, then the head of the French planning agency, and publicly proposed by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman on May 9, 1950
One could conclude that the EU started in 1949, when the Council of Europe was established, and 9 May 1950 a plan for new and deeper political cooperation in Europe was presented by
French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman. He proposed integrating the coal and steel industries of Western Europe: 18 April 1951 – European Coal and Steel Community was created.
Based on the Schuman plan, six countries sign a treaty to run their coal and steel industries under a common management. In this way, no single country can make the weapons of war to turn against others, as in the past. The six are Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The European Coal and Steel Community comes into being in 1952.
Later, 9 May is celebrated by the European Union as 'Europe Day'.
"Today, German imperialism is little-understood even in countries and regions intimately shaped if not outright created by Berlin’s colonial meddling and concomitant hegemonic expansion."
Germany is the least hegemonic and colonialistic of all Western European countries. The UK and the United States rank highest.
Excellent Kit.
I have been saying this to my French friends: I am more scared of Germany than I ever would be of Russia.
Aw, c'mon, Kit, you really lost it there. If you start at Brest-Litovsk you could as well start with the fall of the Roman empire in which various Germanic/Gothic people played a big role, with Britain and France on the periphery for a long time - but the arc you draw via Yugoslavia and EU to today is beyond pale. Don't you see that post Schmidt (and Schroeder as straggler) there were never able leaders in Germany? ... and if France, UK, Poland and especially USA coughed, they caught a flu. That has not changed, the "furor Teutonicus" collapsed with WWII (after just reawakening under Prussia) and ever since they have been trying to be a good vassal to you know who - and carried the cost of many a misadventure, including Israel and EU. So what purpose does your counter-factual article serve? Think about it - and keep in mind that there's an obvious and plausible guess.
1. The opening sentence confuses me: not Germany, but the already existing BeNeLux was the fundament of the EU. 1943: BeNeLux: Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg: the governments of the three Benelux countries sign a monetary agreement. The objective is to create a framework for transactions and to strengthen economic ties. The historical overview: https://www.benelux.int/en/information-for-citizens/benelux-union/about-us/history
Germany joined later, when the European Coal and Steel Treaty Community was created, and part of this community was also the Benelux, together with Italy and France. The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was primarily planned and authored by Jean Monnet, then the head of the French planning agency, and publicly proposed by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman on May 9, 1950
.....
2. For all complex details of the development from the Benelux to the EU: "History of the EU and shared values", unfortunately in Dutch, but worth to translate because the best summarizing and linking through to other pages: https://europadecentraal.nl/onderwerp/europese-unie/euroscans/geschiedenis-van-de-eu-en-gedeelde-waarden/
It also mentions the European coal and Steel Treaty of 1951. More about this in part 3.
Or read the (2024) English article: "Benelux countries were blueprint for Europe", https://www.luxtimes.lu/europeanunion/benelux-countries-were-blueprint-for-europe/19346078.html
.....
3. The EU website with its history: https://european-union.europa.eu/principles-countries-history/history-eu/1945-59_en
One could conclude that the EU started in 1949, when the Council of Europe was established, and 9 May 1950 a plan for new and deeper political cooperation in Europe was presented by
French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman. He proposed integrating the coal and steel industries of Western Europe: 18 April 1951 – European Coal and Steel Community was created.
Based on the Schuman plan, six countries sign a treaty to run their coal and steel industries under a common management. In this way, no single country can make the weapons of war to turn against others, as in the past. The six are Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The European Coal and Steel Community comes into being in 1952.
Later, 9 May is celebrated by the European Union as 'Europe Day'.
.....
"Today, German imperialism is little-understood even in countries and regions intimately shaped if not outright created by Berlin’s colonial meddling and concomitant hegemonic expansion."
Germany is the least hegemonic and colonialistic of all Western European countries. The UK and the United States rank highest.