The Undervalued Partnership of France and Germany for Europe

For many centuries in Europe, the concept of ‘Franco-German enmity’ had dominated the political discourse in Europe. As long as France and Germany is at odds with each other, it would be impossible to create peace in Europe. French philosopher Joseph Rovan once wrote that ‘it took twenty-three Franco-German wars to finally create Europe’. When Nazi Germany invaded France in 1940 and Paris fell into German hands, many in Germany celebrated the victory and Hitler’s popularity was at its highest. For the French, this chapter in their history was a forgetful one.

The policy of the French in the first few years after the war was to find ways to limit the Germans ability both economically and militarily. When the US wanted to re-arm West Germany in 1954, France was petrified at the idea of a re-armed Germany. They decided to build a European military alliance named ‘European Defense Community’ which seek to integrate the armed forces of several European nations under one leadership to defend Europe. Of course, France uses this excuse because they simply wanted to have a control of the German forces. EDC however, failed because of the French’s own internal conflicts.

Thus, European cooperation at that time was primarily aimed to create a forum where France and Germany must work together for the…

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