The Treaty of Locarno, the first step towards Franco-German rapprochement (October 16, 1925)
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October 16, 1925
The Treaty of Locarno, the first step towards Franco-German rapprochement
On 16 October 1925, Briand and Gustav Stresemann signed the Treaty of Locarno, guaranteeing the frontiers between France, Germany and Belgium and establishing a mutual assistance pact. This treaty allowed Germany to break out of its isolation at the international level and to join the League of Nations in 1926. In the same year, the efforts of the two men were honoured with the award of the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1929, Briand, supported by Stresemann, put to the Assembly of the League of Nations the first official proposal for a European Union, which would focus on the economic domain while preserving national sovereignty. It provided for the creation of a common market, an aim that would be taken up again by the Treaty of Rome in 1957. But the idea of a federal tie did not inspire the countries of Europe, and the project was abandoned for good after the death of Briand in 1932 and the increase in tension across Europe.