[Colin]

The Second World War ended in 1945. It had been a time of terrible destruction and killing, and it had started in Europe. How could the leaders of European Countries stop such dreadful things from ever happening again? They needed a new plan that had never been tried before.

A Vision of a New Europe

Between 1870 and1945 France and Germany fought each other three times with terrible loss of life. European leaders became convinced that the only way to secure lasting peace between France and Germany was to unite them economically and politically. A Frenchman called Jean Monnet realised that there were two things a country needed before it could make war: iron for producing steel to make munitions and coal to provide energy for factories and railways. Europe had plenty of coal and steel.

In 1950, in a speech inspired by Jean Monnet, the French Foreign Minister, Robert Schuman, proposed integrating the coal and steel industries of Western Europe. He said, “….The pooling of coal and steel production should immediately provide for the setting up of common foundations for economic development as a first step in the federation of Europe……By pooling basic production and by instituting a new High Authority, whose decisions will bind France, Germany and other member countries, this proposal will lead to the realisation of the concrete foundation of a European federation indispensable to the preservation of peace…..”

more here: http://www.englishconstitutiongroup.org/the-growth-of-the-eu/

[the leveller]

The above was all part of the Marshall Plan
I have an original article from the time.I've copied it but its in 3 pieces because the article covered over two pages
I'll send you a copy tomorrow Colin see if you can tidy it