The awakening of the nations inspires Victor Hugo's speech on the United States of Europe (August 21, 1849)

• The origins of the European idea (Before 1918)
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• The Franco-British summit at Saint-Malo gives fresh impetus to European defence (December 4, 1998)
• Faced with revolt from MEPs, the Santer Commission prefers to resign (March 16, 1999)
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• Enlargement of the European Union to take in ten new members (May 1, 2004)
• Signing of the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe (October 29, 2004)
• ITER and Galileo: Europe at the forefront of science (2005)
• Bulgaria and Romania join the 25 (January 1, 2007)
• 50th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome (March 25, 2007)
• Signing of the Treaty of Lisbon (2007)

August 21, 1849

The awakening of the nations inspires Victor Hugo's speech on the United States of Europe

In 1848, a wave of revolutions spread across Europe: in Italy, Austria, Germany, France and Hungary, people rose up to demand greater liberty. In the Austrian Empire, these upheavals were accompanied by calls for independence. Victor Hugo, then a member of the French parliament, saw in this awakening of the nations the promise of European unification. At the Peace Congress held in Paris in 1849, he declared: 'A day will come when you France, you Russia, you Italy, you England, you Germany, you all, nations of the continent, without losing your distinct qualities and your glorious individuality, will be merged closely within a superior unit and you will form the European brotherhood'.The memory of Napoleon and the 'spring of 1848' had put paid to the myth of a 'European Empire', making way for organisational proposals of a federal nature. But dreams of peace between the nations of Europe were soon to give way to bellicose nationalisms, which led to the two great conflicts of the 20th century.

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