Not many people know that the explicit goal of the early founders of the EU was to institute federalisation by stealth. They distrusted democracy (Hitler was voted into power), and chose to disguise massive political reform as economic.
Monnet - one of the original drivers behind the formation of the EU - had this to say:
"Europe's nations should be guided towards the Super-state without their people understanding what is happening. This can be accomplished by successive steps, each disguised as having an economic purpose, but which will eventually and irreversibly lead to federation."
To be clear, these weren't some sort of evil oligarchs at work: they wanted there to never be another WW2, another Hitler, etc.
But the nature of the EU, from the outset, was much as its critics today contend.
Correction: that is not a quote from Monnet but a summary by a contemporary of his. He actually said:
"Via money Europe could become political in five years" and "… the current communities should be completed by a Finance Common Market which would lead us to European economic unity. Only then would … the mutual commitments make it fairly easy to produce the political union which is the goal.
Probably worth noting that the Daily Express is decidedly opinionated on the question of EU membership; not exactly an unbiased opinion.
Not that I'm disputing the quote (I have no idea) - but Monnet was not the only person driving the formation of the ECSC, and I'm not sure any of the others involved had the same views.
No. Hitler was never voted into office. He was appointed chancellor by the countries president.
Mussolini was hired by the King of Italy at (metaphorical) gunpoint to run the country, and ultimately fired him once the gun was no longer being held to his head.
That can't be the case, since the Reichskanzler was not voted for in any way. He was appointed by the Reichspräsident.
Hindenburg appointed Hitler as Reichskanzler in 1933. In march 1933 there were new elections, but this time already under control of Hitler (as Reichskanzler) and the NSDAP. The NSDAP still did not get a majority of the votes, even though there already was a lot of terror against the opposition.
Hitler was never voted into power by the Germans. Even though the NSDAP was the strongest party in the last elections, they never had the majority of seats in the Reichstag in free elections and even not in the first non-free election.
The Treaty of Rome which established the organisation that evolved in the EU we know today has a preamble that begins with:
HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF THE BELGIANS,
THE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY,
THE PRESIDENT OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC,
THE PRESIDENT OF THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC,
HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE GRAND DUCHESS OF LUXEMBOURG,
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN OF THE NETHERLANDS,
*DETERMINED to lay the foundations of an ever-closer union among the peoples of Europe,[...]*
There is truth in that, and denying it would be silly. There was a definite idea in the founding of the EU that the goal was a post-nation state, closer integration, fiscal and political union and so on.
That being said, I think there is an increasing feeling within the EU that this is no longer the correct approach.
I stand corrected - that wasn't a Monnet quote but a summary of his position by a contemporary.
Monnet actually said:
"Via money Europe could become political in five years" and "… the current communities should be completed by a Finance Common Market which would lead us to European economic unity. Only then would … the mutual commitments make it fairly easy to produce the political union which is the goal."
Monnet - one of the original drivers behind the formation of the EU - had this to say:
"Europe's nations should be guided towards the Super-state without their people understanding what is happening. This can be accomplished by successive steps, each disguised as having an economic purpose, but which will eventually and irreversibly lead to federation."
To be clear, these weren't some sort of evil oligarchs at work: they wanted there to never be another WW2, another Hitler, etc.
But the nature of the EU, from the outset, was much as its critics today contend.
More at http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/679277/History-EU-how....
Correction: that is not a quote from Monnet but a summary by a contemporary of his. He actually said:
"Via money Europe could become political in five years" and "… the current communities should be completed by a Finance Common Market which would lead us to European economic unity. Only then would … the mutual commitments make it fairly easy to produce the political union which is the goal.