Documents on the History of European Integration: Continental Plans for European Union, 1939-1945

848 Pages·1985·64.003 MB·English

by  Walter Lipgens, Paul S. Falla

EUI - Series B - 1
Lipgens (ed.), Documents on the History of European Integration
Vol. 1: Continental Plans for European Union 1939-1945
European University Institute
Institut Universitaire Européen
Europäisches Hochschulinstitut
Istituto Universitario Europeo
Sériés B
History/Histoife/Geschichte/Storia
1.1
Badia Fiesolana - Firenze
Documents on the History
of European Integration
Volume 1
Continental Plans for European Union 1939-1945
(including 250 Documents in their Original Language
on 6 Microfiches)
Edited by
Walter Lipgens
W
DE
G_
1985
Walter de Gruyter • Berlin • New York
CIP-Kurztitelaufnahme der Deutschen Bibliothek
Documents on the history of European integration / ed. by Walter Lipgens. -
Berlin ; New York : de Gruyter (European University Institute : Ser. B, Geschichte ;
Vol. 1)
NE: Lipgens, Walter [Hrsg.]; Istituto Universitario Europeo (Fiesole): European
University Institute / B
Vol. 1. Continental plans for European Union 1939 - 1945 : (including 250 documents
in their orig. language on 6 microfiches). - 1984.
ISBN 3-11-009724-9
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Main entry under title:
Documents on the history of European integration.
(Series B—History / European University Institute ; 1- )
Paul S. Falla translated all the texts in volume I.
"Most of the texts in Part Two were . . . published for the first time in . . . Europa-
Föderationspläne der Widerstandsbewegungen 1940-45 (Oldenbourg, Munich,
1968)"—V. 1, pref.
Includes bibliographies and indexes.
Contents: v. 1. Continental plans for european union, 1939-1945 (including 250
documents in their original language on 6 microfiches)
1. European federation—History—Sources. I. Lipgens, Walter. II. Europa—Föde-
rationspläne der Widerstandsbewegungen, 1940—45. II. Series: B—History ; 1. etc.
D1060.D63 1984 341.24'2 84-19842
ISBN 3-11-009724-9
© Copyright 1984 by Walter de Gruyter & Co., Berlin.
All rights reserved, including those of translation into foreign languages. No part of this
book may be reproduced in any form - by photoprint, microfilm, or any other means - nor
transmitted nor translated into a machine language without written permission from the
publisher.
Dust Cover Design: Rudolf Hiibler, Berlin. — Printing: Wagner GmbH, Nordlingen.
Binding: Verlagsbuchbinderei Dieter Mikolai, Berlin.
Printed in Germany.
Foreword
This volume which initiates the European University History series is the first in
a multi-volume series on the History of European Integration since the Second
World War, comprising the results of research conducted at the European Uni-
versity Institute, Florence.
The enterprise was conceived by Professor Walter Lipgens while he was a
member of the Department of History and Civilisation in this Institute
(1976-1979).
Unfortunately, Walter Lipgens never saw his major work come to fruition: he
died suddenly on 29 April 1984, just as the publication of this volume was near-
ing completion. The news of his death was of great sorrow to all his colleagues
who for many years had collaborated in his life-time's work.
It is our sincere hope that this work, which was commenced with such dedi-
cation by our highly respected late colleague, will be the first of many developing
the theme of European Integration.
Florence, October 1984
Werner Maihofer
President of the
European University
Institute

Summary of Contents
Preface VII
Full Table of Contents XI
General Introduction (WALTER LIPGENS) 1
Part One: National Socialist and Fascist Ideas on
Europe
I. National Socialist Ideas on Europe (MICHAEL SALEWSKI) 37
II. Ideas of the Fascist Government and Party on Europe
(DINO COFRANCESCO) 179
Part Two: The Resistance Movements' Plans for
European Union
I. Plans for European Union in the Austrian Resistance Movement
(WOLFGANG NEUGEBAUER) 202
II. Views of the Belgian Resistance on the Future of Europe
(JOSÉ GOTOVITCH) 215
III. Views of the Danish Resistance on the Future of Europe
(HENNING NIELSEN) 244
IV. Ideas of the French Resistance on Future Foreign Policy
(WALTER LIPGENS) 264
V. Ideas of the German Resistance on the Future of Europe
(WALTER LIPGENS) 362
VI. Ideas of the Italian Resistance on the Postwar Order in Europe
(KLAUS VOIGT) 456
VII. Ideas of the Dutch Resistance on the Postwar Order in Europe
(WALTER LIPGENS) 556
VIII. East European Plans for the Future of Europe: the Example of
Poland (WALTER LIPGENS) 609
IX. Transnational Contacts (WALTER LIPGENS) 659
Vili Summary of Contents
Part Three: Plans for the Future of Europe in
Neutral Countries
I. Swedish Views on the Future of Europe
(FINN LAURSEN) 701
II. Swiss Plans for the Postwar Order in Europe
(WALTER LIPGENS) 743
(BIBLIOGRAPHIES AT THE END OF EACH CHAPTER)
Note on Contributors 803
Name Index 807
Subject Index 815
Preface
Next to the East-West conflict, the dominant feature of post-war European
history has been the trend towards unification of the continent, incomplete
though that still is. Whereas historians have produced ample documentation and
many controversial monographs on the East-West issue, it has often been noted
with regret that they have scarcely begun to make a systematic study of the
process of European integration. The disparity between the importance of this
process and the extent to which it has been treated by scholars is partly a cause
and partly a consequence of the fact that the European Community, while devel-
oping steadily in spite of all its crises, as yet hardly possesses a historical con-
sciousness of its own.
As regards the phase which is of most urgency from the historian's point of
view, viz. the formative years 1940-50 during which the idea of European unity
was gradually making headway, there is a particular need for systematic publi-
cation of the widely scattered sources. It is important both to scholarship and to
European politics that those concerned with these questions should have at their
disposal the abundant but largely forgotten material illustrating early analyses of
the problem, conceptions of Europe's future and ideas as to how they could be
put into effect.
Soon after entering upon its functions in 1976, the European University Insti-
tute in Florence decided to publish a series of volumes of 'Documents on the
History of European Integration'. The process of integration had diverse roots.
Throughout the centuries there had been a lively awareness of the cultural unity
of Europe, and several attempts to endow it with political unity. After the catas-
trophe of the First World War, and with the realization of Europe's decline, there
arose for the first time associations devoted to this aim - including the Paneu-
ropa-Union, which was active in all European countries - but as yet they had no
influence in political circles. While not underrating the importance of these ori-
gins, which deserve to be the object of separate documentary studies, the EUI
agreed to my proposal that its own series should begin with the outbreak of the
Second World War. The European unity movement as we know it derives from
the initial shock of that war, the course it took and the way in which it ended; the
war years were a time of incubation, leading to the first effective moves for unity
in 1948-50. Volumes already completed or in preparation deal with plans for
European union formulated in 1939-45 (1) on the Continent, (2) in nongovern-
mental circles and among political exiles in Britain and America, and (3) will
contain documents of pro-European pressure groups and political parties for the
period 1945-50, and it is hoped that further volumes will follow.
The present Volume 1 thus comprises plans for European union formulated on
the Continent between 1940 and 1945. Since, at the outset of this period and for
X Preface
most of its duration, almost the whole of continental Europe was brought under
the hegemony of a single nation and a single dictator, as it had once been under
Napoleon, Part One of the volume must of necessity document National Social-
ist ideas on European unity, perverted though these were. Part Two, which by its
size and content is the principal part of the volume, contains impressive texts
showing that the most important thinkers in the main resistance groups in the
chief countries of Europe were united, for the same reasons in every case, in
calling for the abolition of national sovereignties and for a voluntary union of
European peoples after their liberation from Nazi rule. Part Three illustrates the
existence of similar plans in neutral Sweden and Switzerland, where European
federation was also the subject of lively discussion.
The General Introduction to the volume reviews the background, including
the decline of Europe and the evolution of ideas in the in ter-war period; it refers
to the collapse of nations in the Second World War and the smashing of Hitler's
Europe, and draws attention to the far-reaching homogeneity of motives
expressed by resistance writers. The arrangement of the work and the principles
which have governed the selection of countries and documents are described in a
final section. Thereafter each chapter is prefaced by a separate introduction,
describing (in Part One) the Nazi and the Fascist ideology as far as 'Europe' was
concerned and (in Part Two) the special conditions and nature of the resistance
groups in the different countries.
My thanks are due to all those who have kindly assisted in the production of
this volume. Most of the texts in Part Two were collected by me in 1964 and
published for the first time in a volume entitled Europa-Föderationspläne der
Widerstandsbewegungen 1940—45 (Oldenbourg, Munich, 1968). This German
edition was financed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik in
Bonn. Many former resistance fighters and students of the resistance helped me
with documents and interviews: I owe especial thanks to M. Henri Frenay and
Prof. Altiero Spinelli, Dr Louis de Jong, M. Henri Michel and Prof. Ger van
Roon for assistance in various forms, at that time and also in connection with the
present edition.
For the purpose of this English edition, forming part of the planned EUI series
of documentary volumes, each chapter has been thoroughly revised and updated
on the basis of thirteen years of further research, and the introductions have been
rewritten. The chapters on 'National Socialist ideas for Europe' and on the ideas
of Italian Fascists and those on the Austrian, Belgian and Danish resistance
movements, as well as that on Sweden, have been written especially for this
edition, and I express grateful thanks to my colleagues Michael Salewski, Dino
Cofrancesco, Wolfgang Neugebauer, José Gotovitch, Henning Nielsen and Finn
Laursen for their contributions in accordance with the overall plan. My earlier
chapter on Italy has been supplemented by Dr Klaus Voigt with texts relating to
the nascent political parties; he has also written a new introduction, and the
chapter accordingly appears under his name. The chapters on the resistance mov-
ements in France, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland, as well as those on
transnational contacts and on Switzerland, have been thoroughly revised and
enlarged; they have also been reviewed by specialist colleagues, who have con-