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Rebuilding the world order: the construction of Europe

Written by the Hexaciv editorial team · Ministry sheet read on 23 October 2026, still identical on 25 October 2026 · Our method

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Key points of the sheet

1. The European Union was built according to the "theory of small steps". In 1951, several countries created the ECSC (CECA) to share coal and steel.
2. These countries were France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. In 1957, they founded the European Economic Community (CEE) with the Treaty of Rome, to form a common market.
3. In 1992, the Treaty of Maastricht turned the CEE into the European Union. It created European citizenship and planned a single currency. In 2002, the euro became the official currency of several member countries.
4. The decisions of the European Union are approved by all member states. This is sometimes long and complex. Each step forward depends on a balance between national interests and the common interest.
5. Until 1993, membership was in the CEE. The founding countries joined on 1 January 1958. Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom joined in 1973.
6. Greece joined in 1981, then Spain and Portugal in 1986. In 1990, Germany was reunified; Austria, Finland and Sweden joined in 1995.
7. In 2004, several countries joined, for example Poland and Hungary. Bulgaria and Romania joined in 2007. Croatia joined in 2013.
8. On 31 January 2020, Brexit took place: the United Kingdom left the European Union.

Words to know

theory of small steps (théorie des petits pas)

The European Union was built according to this theory. The steps go from the ECSC in 1951 to the euro in 2002.

European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) (Communauté Européenne du Charbon et de l’Acier (CECA))

It was created in 1951 between several countries, including France, to share coal and steel.

Treaty of Rome (traité de Rome)

With this treaty, the countries founded the CEE in 1957 to form a common market.

Treaty of Maastricht (traité de Maastricht)

In 1992, this treaty turned the CEE into the European Union.

European citizenship (citoyenneté européenne)

It was created in 1992 by the Treaty of Maastricht.

Brexit

It is the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, on 31 January 2020.

Questions on the ministry's list that rest on this sheet

• In which year does the euro become the currency of several EU countries?
• What currency is used in France?
• In which year was European citizenship created?
• In which year is the Communauté Économique Européenne (CEE, the European Economic Community) created?
• In which year does the euro become the money used in France?
• What is the first step in building Europe, in 1951?

More in this topic (World conflicts and the new world order)

• Reshaping the world order: decolonisation
• The First World War (1914-1918): the context
• The First World War (1914-1918): the consequences