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European Union Institutions LO1 European Integration

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European Union Institutions LO1 European Integration
Before the First World War there had been several attempts to abolish trade barriers between European countries, however the main focus at this time was individual national development. After WW1 and throughout the inter-war period, nations attempted to rebuild their economies though a significant increase in protectionism, which resulted in a huge increase in unemployment, and led to the Great Depression. Following the Second World War the European Economies were focused on rebuilding both their social and economic state after becoming desolate and impoverished as a result of the war and their previous protectionism stance. This forced the European leaders to work together in order to encourage international trade and forge greater co-operation between their nations.
There were three main factors which encouraged the drive towards greater European Integration. These were:
The desire for lasting peace.
The emergence of the economic superpowers of the US and Japan.
The emergence of the political superpowers of the US and USSR.
The European co-operation was supported by, and led to the creation of, organisations including:
Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC) 1948 - Succeeded by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
The International Bank for reconstruction and Development (World Bank) 1944
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) 1947
The Benelux Union 1947
General; Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1948 – Succeeded by the WTO
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) 1949
The Council of Europe 1949
Another hugely important stepping stone towards greater European co-operation was the Marshall Plan, named after George Marshall, US Secretary of State. Also called the European Recovery Programme, it was initiated to provide financial assistance in order to help rebuild countries left devastated and disintegrated after WW2. There were two main reasons the US was willing to provide financial assistance towards the European
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