Why has the Franco German partnership played such a pivotal role throughout the development of the European Community

Résumé du document

After the end of the World War Two, France and Germany experienced hostile relations. Indeed, from 1945 to 1950, the two countries were both traumatized by the souvenir of their mutual occupation. On the French side, the Nazi's occupation had created a feeling of revenge, and on the German's one, the experience of the zone occupied by France had fuelled the hate.
But politicians like Robert Schumannn, Jean Monnet or Konrad Adenauer, who wanted the two countries to be reconciled to guarantee their harmonious development and the security of Europe, made it possible through the creation of a European community first confined to industrial production but soon extended to many economic and political aspects. From 1950, a real Franco-German partnership was created around the European construction. The two countries' relations, built upon a measure of convergence of ideas and interests, a joint management of political projects and common institutions, became central for the community. Actually, the project of European integration had underpinned the bilateral Franco-German relationship and provided a constraining multilateral framework for the conduct of it (1). As a consequence, the "Franco-German tandem" (2) became the cornerstone of the development of the European community.
Actually, the couple has a powerful agenda setting role and is at the origin of all major treaties. The political leaders of both countries are in close collaboration and, today, the Franco-German partnership is still seen as the historical "motor of Europe" (3).

Extraits

[...] Consequently, the pivotal role of the partnership can be explained by the symbolic dimension of the Franco-German alliance: as the founding fathers, they count more than other members and their union symbolises reconciliation, peace and solidarity. And the other members actually look for them to bridge their differences and lead the integration process because of this symbolic role. As we have seen, the development of the European community aimed at integrating the FRG to control it. Therefore, we cannot separate it from the relations between France and Germany: their reconciliation have been based on the union of the European states. [...]

[...] Indeed, the other member states also played a role in the European development and haven't only followed the two countries. Besides, from the mid-1980s especially, powerful supranational forces such as the commission have challenged the partnership. Endnotes Laurent Leblond, Le couple Franco-Allemand depuis 1945, Paris, Le Monde éditions p.4 F. Roy Willis, France, Germany, and the New Europe, 1945- 1967, Oxford, Oxford university press François d'Arcy et Luc Rouban, de la Veme République à l'Europe, Paris, Presses de sciences po p.27 Alistair Cole, Franco German Relations, Malaysia, Longman p.10 Laurent Leblond, Le couple Franco-Allemand depuis 1945, Paris, Le Monde éditions p.4 Adenauer's speech, 7th of March 1950 Laurent Leblond, Le couple Franco-Allemand depuis 1945, Paris, Le Monde éditions p.109 Alistair Cole, Franco German Relations, Malaysia, Longman p.9 Ibid p 10) Alistair Cole, Franco German Relations, Malaysia, Longman p.10 11) Petersen in, Alistair Cole, Franco German Relations, Malaysia, Longman p.10 12) Lois Pattison de Ménil, Who speaks for Europe, the vision of Charles De Gaulle, London, Butler and Tanner p.180 13) Ibid p.183 14) Alistair Cole, Franco German Relations, Malaysia, Longman p.11 15) Laurent Leblond, Le couple Franco-Allemand depuis 1945, Paris, Le Monde éditions p.128 16) Alistair Cole, Franco German Relations, Malaysia, Longman p.14 17) Haig Simonian, The privileged partnership, Franco-German relations in the European community 1969-1984, Oxford, Clarendon Press p 18) Ibid p.99 19) Petersen in Alistair Cole, Franco German Relations, Malaysia, Longman p.56 20) Alistair Cole, Franco German Relations, Malaysia, Longman 21) Haig Simonian, The privileged partnership, Franco-German relations in the European community 1969-1984, Oxford, Clarendon Press p.274 22) Laurent Leblond, Le couple Franco-Allemand depuis 1945, Paris, Le Monde éditions p.132 23) Alistair Cole, Franco German Relations, Malaysia, Longman p.65 24) Ibid, p.81 25) Ibid, p.147 26) Ibid, p.148 Bibliography Haig Simonian, The privileged partnership, Franco-German relations in the European community 1969-1984, Oxford, Clarendon Press Jacques Dalloz, La France et le monde depuis 1945, Paris, Armand Colin Anne Dulphy, La politique extérieure de la France depuis 1945, Paris, Nathan Université Laurent Leblond, Le couple Franco-Allemand depuis 1945, Paris, Le Monde éditions Lois Pattison de Ménil, Who speaks for Europe, the vision of Charles De Gaulle, London, Butler and Tanner Alistair Cole, Franco German Relations, Malaysia, Longman François d'Arcy et Luc Rouban, de la Veme République à l'Europe, Paris, Presses de sciences po F. [...]

[...] Actually, from 1951, the Franco-German partnership became the motor of Europe in the sense that it instigated all the following marches in the European integration. Even after the failure of the Pleven plan of a European Defence Community in august 1954, which was also a Franco-German project, the did not lost its leadership. Indeed, even if the initiative of deepening the integration by creating an economic community was Belgian, it was proposed by the Belgian foreign affairs ministry, the Franco-German couple headed the negotiations about creating the European Atomic Energy Community and the common market, at the Messina conference of June 1955. [...]

[...] In 1970, Germany had become the undisputed economic locomotive of the EEC. The interdependence had turned to its advantage and the country was characterised by its “economic miracle”(16). At this time, Germany was able to claim for being the only leader of the community, the economic primacy providing it a strong political influence. The Helmut Schmidt's idea of Germany being treasurer of the community” well illustrates this reality. But this performance depended upon a complex relationship with its principal European economic and political partner: France. [...]

[...] As a word of conclusion, we can say that the Franco-German partnership as played a pivotal role throughout the development of the European community because of the gathering of many factors. Actually, its leadership position, inaugurated by its role of pioneer in the European Coal an Steel Community and the symbolic dimension of the reconciliation had been reinforced by the De Gaulle and Adenauer's entente and the signature of the treaty of Paris. After this, the fact that the couple was the most powerful political and economic alliance within the community allowed it to have a powerful agenda setting role and reinforced its hegemony on the other member states. [...]