Intro -- The construction of the European Union -- Key information -- Introduction -- Political, social and economic context -- Early experiments in cooperation (1945-1957) -- Key protagonists -- Konrad Adenauer -- Robert Schuman -- Jean Monnet -- Charles de Gaulle -- Paul-Henri Spaak -- François Mitterrand -- Valéry Giscard d'Estaing -- Helmut Kohl -- The construction of the EU -- The creation of the Council of Europe -- The European Coal and Steel Community: towards economic integration -- Initial failures -- The creation of the European Economic Community: a key turning point -- The first setbacks in the construction of the European Union (1960-1969) -- Further expansion (1969-1989) -- From the EEC to the EU (1989-2004) -- The 2000s: a new order -- The EU today -- Summary -- Find out more.