How to have Europe enter the 2000s united?

How could we have the EU, or a similar entity, evolve into a fully united federal state by or during the start of the 21st century?

It must include the UK, and all nations in the OTL EU as of 2000 at least. Obviously if the time-line requires or resulting in different nations then real life, then some le-way is required (apart from regarding what ever nations inhabit Great Britain, which must be included).

Anyone got any ideas/willing to give a quick time-line?
 
The U.S does not enter WW2 in Europe. In the late 40's Germany collapses economically and socially under the combined effects of British (possibly nuclear) bombing and the Soviet meatgrinder.The Soviets make serious inroads into central Europe, but are too tired to take serious advantage of it.

Western Europe is bankrupt, depopulated and most of all alone against a communist menace that stretches from the Pacific to the North Sea. Some form of sabre-rattling akin to OTL's Berlin Blockade prompts the rapid extension of the Anglo-French alliance into an ATL NATO (without the U.S). The alliance is war-weary, but appeasement has been completely discredited, and the United States is unwilling to protect them - which forces the allies to become an over-militarized quasi-federation, with a red scare that puts OTL's McCarthyism to shame.

A cold-war emerges where the economic balance is much more equal than OTL. The Allies desperately try to hold on to their colonies, using force if needed, whilst the Soviets desperately try to hold on to their over-extension in European lands. The war will have been much longer and the Soviet advance slower, which means more "self-liberation" like Yuguslavia, resulting in strong local partisan movements and governments that are unwilling to tow Moscow's line. With the lack of a U.S armed presence, these are more likely to get squashed by force.

Both sides have it bad and are trying to keep their "Empires" together by force, but the Soviets are going to be less effective at it. The Allies will be bankrolled by the U.S, even in its isolation, and will be able to "cut loose" their colonies much more easily than the Soviets can cut loose eastern and central Europe. Combined with over-militarization, this may well lead to a soviet collapse or withdrawal like OTL, at which point the breakaway states quickly join the Western European quasi-federation.

But this is a much poorer Europe faced with a U.S that is not super friendly (much less actively protecting it), a still present Russian threat, and rising challenges from East Asia. Once the trend of centralization of power sets in post-WW2, it will rapidly accelerate, even with the introduction of new nations. Further, the heritage of oppression of dissent within new Eastern states will have removed any organized opposition that is not funded by the Allies - which means that there will be no organized voice against joining the European Federation in these new states (at least, not for a few years, by which time it will be too late).
 
The Franco-British Union as proclaimed dring WWII actually get continued, when a post-war (West) germany is formed, they require it to join the union; the american occupied parts might form different entities (independent Bavaria etc.) or pending on how much the soviet threat looms might also join out of fear/necessity.
With that we already get an entity containing France, Britain and at least sizeable parts of West Germany.
Further nations might join for whatever reasons: from the communist/soviet threat (either real or perceived) to economic necessities (or even pressure acted from that new european entity)
 
If the French had accepted the joint military directly after the war, European unification would have sped up considerably. Now add to that a more aggressive answer by the Soviets, tying together Europe even more.

Joint military requires earlier fiscal cooperation, leading to a far earlier monetary union - including a fiscal union from the start, which is not that unlikely since economic differences are not that fortified yet and the common military requires a lot of cooperation. Conscription throughout Europe establishes European cooperation within the daily life of millions of young men. You get a European union which is significantly further integrated than today already in the 70s - nevertheless it likely is merely a "core" Europe.
 
The European Movement began out of Churchill's idea at the end of the war to create a European superstate with Britain acting as a mediator between Europe and the United States.
 
Some very interesting ideas! Is it possible to have Europe be a (or even the) world Superpower by 2000?

If so what would this state look like?

Could I see a map or 2 based on Letum's idea?
 
Some very interesting ideas! Is it possible to have Europe be a (or even the) world Superpower by 2000?

If so what would this state look like?

Could I see a map or 2 based on Letum's idea?

It would almost certainly be, if Europe united tomorrow it would become a superpower, the biggest economy on earth.
 
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