75 years of Europe

Europa after 1945: Nationalism, militarism and two self-inflicted world wars had plunged the old continent into the abyss within just three decades. Yet just five years after the end of the Second World War, French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman achieved a masterstroke that broke through in the European unification process. The so-called Schuman Plan marks the birth of today’s European Union: Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg establish the first supranational European organisation designed to make war between states impossible. 75 years later, the united Europe looks back on a turbulent history of spectacular progress but also existential crises. And once again, nationalism and populism are endangering the European project.