WI: The European Defence Community is implemented?

I was reading up on the early parts of the ECSC and ran across the proposal for the European Defence Community and was surprised by how far it got before failing in the ratification process in France.

I was wondering: What would it take for the EDC to be ratified? and, What would the possible effects of the ratification be in the short, medium, and long term?

What would the reaction be from the USSR? How would the ratification of the EDC affect the wider european initiative? Would this bolster the federalist movement occuring at the time?

Hope you can help me get a better understanding of what the EDC might have been. :)
 
I was reading up on the early parts of the ECSC and ran across the proposal for the European Defence Community and was surprised by how far it got before failing in the ratification process in France.

I was wondering: What would it take for the EDC to be ratified? and, What would the possible effects of the ratification be in the short, medium, and long term?

Easiest PoDs? Either make Stalin survive or make the Pinay government continue and reach an agreement on the Saar with Germany.

What would the reaction be from the USSR? How would the ratification of the EDC affect the wider european initiative? Would this bolster the federalist movement occuring at the time?

The USSR would not be happy of course. It definitely would push. In the EDC there was article 38 which called for a political union as a superstructure covering the EDC and the ECSC, as well as ongoing talks (Rome 1953) about economic integration that predicted the EEC, but failed due to French and Dutch proposals clashing. So yes, it's likely that it'd help. The project (which was drafted by a special committee in Paris during 1952-53) is the European Political Community. Which is some aspects (like the Community having taxing powers) was miles ahead of even today's EU structures.

Hope you can help me get a better understanding of what the EDC might have been. :)

I'm afraid it's hard to answer right now since I don't have any materials at hand. But I think I can help out with "anything" in a couple of days when I'm back home.
 
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The USSR would not be happy of course. It definitely would push. In the EDC there was article 38 which called for a political union as a superstructure covering the EDC and the ECSC, as well as ongoing talks (Rome 1953) about economic integration that predicted the EEC, but failed due to French and Dutch proposals clashing. So yes, it's likely that it'd help. The project (which was drafted by a special committee in Paris during 1952-53) is the European Political Community. Which is some aspects (like the Community having taxing powers) was miles ahead of even today's EU structures.

It seems a bit unlikely that Europe would leap beyond the present day as far as political integration is concerned, at least not all at once.

Another interesting question is whether the EDC and related organizations would be able to expand as far as the EU and its antecedents if joining meant close political union from the start. There are complaints about French and German dominating the modern EU, I can't imagine how much worse the comparison would be in the 1960s with a much smaller union.
 
It seems a bit unlikely that Europe would leap beyond the present day as far as political integration is concerned, at least not all at once.

Another interesting question is whether the EDC and related organizations would be able to expand as far as the EU and its antecedents if joining meant close political union from the start. There are complaints about French and German dominating the modern EU, I can't imagine how much worse the comparison would be in the 1960s with a much smaller union.

Well you can check the draft treaty itself. The Commission was directly answerable to the EP, the EPC would have taxing powers or the capacity to coordinate foreign policy (which given a common European Army, would be far more than that).

The 50s were the ideal time for deep integration, no better time, honestly.
 
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