Was the Suez Crisis the real reason for the European Project

[SilverSpurs]

A brief history of European political and military integration up to 1956.

Churchill's speech proposing United States of Europe & establishment of Council of Europe - 1946.

Dunkirk Treaty of Alliance and Mutual Assistance - 1947.

Treaty of Brussels, Western Union Defence Organisation - 1948.

Council of Europe established - 1949.

NATO established - 1949.

Schuman Declaration - 1950

European Defence Community proposal - 1950.

European Coal and Steel Community Treaty - 1951.

Plans for a European Political Community (EPC) as complement to European Defence Community are drawn up - 1952.

Dutch Foreign Minister, Jan Willem Bayen, proposes that the EPC include a single market - 1952.

European Defence Community Treaty - 1952.

Treaty rejected by French parliament, European Defence Community & EPC proposals abandoned - 1954.

Western European Union established - 1954.

Messina Conference agrees to the establishment of a European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) and a common market - 1955.

Spaak Committee draws up outline plans for Euratom and European Economic Community - July 1955 to April 1956.

British withdraw from Spaak Committee talks over opposition to establishment of supranational authorities and customs union - October 1955.

Venice Conference of Foreign Ministers of the ECSC endorses Spaak Committee Report, agrees to establish Inter-governmental Conference to draft treaties to create Common Market (European Economic Community) and European Atomic Energy Community - May 1956.

Inter-governmental Conference to negotiate treaties for European Atomic Energy Community and European Economic Community begins - June 1956.

Suez Crisis - 1956.

July 26 President Nasser announces plan to nationalise Suez Canal.
July 28 Britain freezes Egyptian assets.
July 30 British Prime Minister Anthony Eden imposes an arms embargo on Egypt, and informs General Nasser that he can not have the Suez Canal.
Aug 1 Britain, France and US hold talks on escalating Suez crisis.
Aug 2 Britain mobilises armed forces.
Aug 21 Egypt says it will negotiate on Suez ownership if Britain pulls out of the Middle East.
Aug 23 USSR announces it will send troops if Egypt is attacked.
Aug 26 General Nasser agrees to five nation conference on Suez Canal.
Aug 28 Two British envoys are expelled from Egypt accused of spying.
Sept 5 Israel condemns Egypt over Suez crisis.
Sept 9 Conference talks collapse when General Nasser refuses to allow international control of the Suez Canal.
Sept 12 US, Britain, and France announce their intention to impose a Canal Users Association on management of the canal.
Sept 14 Egypt now in full control of the Suez Canal.
Sept 15 Soviet ship-pilots arrive to help Egypt run the canal.
Oct 1 A 15 nation Suez Canal Users Association is officially formed.
Oct 7 Israeli foreign minister Golda Meir says the UN failure to resolve the Suez Crisis means they must take military action.
Oct 13 Anglo-French proposal for the control of the Suez Canal is vetoed by the USSR during UN session.
Oct 29 Israel invades Sinai Peninsula.
Oct 30 Britain and France veto USSR demand for Israel-Egypt cease-fire.
Nov 2 UN Assembly finally approves a cease-fire plan for Suez.
Nov 5 British and French forces involved in airborne invasion of Egypt.
Nov 7 UN Assembly votes 65 to 1 that invading powers should quit Egyptian territory.
Nov 25 Egypt begins to expel British, French, and Zionist residents.
Nov 29 Tripartite Invasion is officially ended under pressure from UN.
Dec 20 Israel refuses to return Gaza to Egypt.
Dec 24 British and French troops depart Egypt.
Dec 27 5,580 Egyptian POWs exchanged for four Israelis.
Dec 28 Operation to clear sunken ship in Suez Canal starts.

What happened up to Suez was initiated and backed by the USA as they wanted a European bulwark against the USSR. The Americans never wanted it to go further than that and hence they demanded the Suez pullout. Post-Suez there was a realisation that Europe depended on the USA for it ability to exercise global power and hence the drive for a lot more than just the common market. Unless of course its stilll just a common market?

[sondagefaux]

Have you actually read the previous post?

You think that the Suez Crisis was of overwhelming significance.

Was the current EU conceived after the humiliation of Britain and France.

The evidence shows that efforts to establish European integration (economic, political and military) began almost as soon as WWII had ended, long before Suez.

The two main influences were a desire to control Germany and to provide defence against the Soviet bloc.

BTW, can you think of any other events in the 1950s that might have acted as a catalyst for European integration?