How and why did Europe move from war toward integration and the European Union?
Topic 9.10 The European Union: the project of European integration from the postwar coal and steel community to the European Union, its causes, achievements, and tensions.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 9.10, on European integration and the European Union: how postwar Europe moved from war toward cooperation, starting with coal and steel and widening to a common market and then the European Union in 1993, its causes and achievements, and the tensions over sovereignty and identity that it raised.
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What this topic is asking
Topic 9.10 asks you to explain European integration and the European Union: how Europe moved from war toward cooperation, from a postwar coal and steel community to the European Union, its causes and achievements, and the tensions it raised over sovereignty and identity. The College Board wants you to understand one of the great political innovations of the contemporary era.
From coal and steel to a common market
The European Union
Why Europe integrated
The motives were powerful and clear.
Achievements and tensions
Why it mattered
The European Union is one of the great political achievements and experiments of the contemporary era. It answered the catastrophe of the world wars (Unit 8) by making war among its members unthinkable, and it built on the postwar reconstruction and prosperity of western Europe (Topics 9.2 and 9.6). After the fall of communism (Topic 9.7), it widened eastward to include former communist states. Integration also reflects and drives the wider forces of globalization (Topic 9.13). The tension it embodies, between European unity and national sovereignty, is central to the politics of contemporary Europe.
Try this
Q1. Name the starting point and the 1993 milestone of European integration. [Recall]
- Cue. It began with a community pooling coal and steel among former enemies; in 1993 the process produced the European Union.
Q2. Explain the central tension that European integration has always carried. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Integration required member states to surrender some national sovereignty to common institutions, so it has always involved a tension between European unity and national independence, raising enduring debates over identity, democracy, and how far integration should go.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of College Board exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AP 2019 (style)3 marksBriefly describe ONE step in European integration. Briefly explain ONE reason Europe pursued integration. Briefly explain ONE tension integration raised.Show worked answer →
A Short Answer Question (SAQ), 3 points, one per task.
A. Describe: the early coal and steel community, the common market, or the creation of the European Union in 1993.
B. Reason: to prevent another European war, rebuild prosperity, and recover collective strength against the superpowers.
C. Tension: integration required surrendering some national sovereignty, raising debates over independence and identity.
Markers want a step, a reason, and a tension.
AP 2021 (style)6 marksEvaluate the most important reason European integration succeeded in the period c. 1950 to c. 1993.Show worked answer →
A Long Essay Question (LEQ), scored on the 6-point causation rubric.
Thesis (1): "European integration succeeded above all because it tied former enemies together economically to prevent war and rebuild prosperity, a shared interest strong enough to overcome national rivalries."
Contextualization (1): the devastation of the world wars and the Cold War division.
Evidence (2): the coal and steel community; the common market; the European Union and its widening membership.
Analysis (2): rank the goals of peace and prosperity while weighing Cold War and superpower pressures, then add complexity by noting tensions over sovereignty.
Related dot points
- Topic 9.2 Rebuilding Europe: the reconstruction of Europe after World War II, the Marshall Plan and Western recovery, the building of welfare states, and the contrasting Soviet model in the east.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 9.2, on the rebuilding of Europe after 1945: the Marshall Plan and the Western European economic miracle, the construction of welfare states and mixed economies, and the contrasting Soviet-imposed reconstruction of communist eastern Europe.
- Topic 9.6 Contemporary Western Democracies: the development of stable, prosperous welfare-state democracies in postwar western Europe, their politics and social change, and the challenges they faced.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 9.6, on contemporary Western democracies: how postwar western Europe built stable, prosperous welfare-state democracies, the rise of consumer society and social change, the politics of consensus and protest, and the challenges of economic downturn and social tension.
- Topic 9.4 Two Superpowers Emerge: the rise of the United States and the Soviet Union as superpowers, the formation of rival blocs and alliances, and the eclipse of the old European great powers.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 9.4, on the emergence of two superpowers: how the United States and the Soviet Union rose to dominate the postwar world, how they built rival military and economic blocs, the place of nuclear weapons, and the eclipse of the old European great powers.
- Topic 9.7 The Fall of Communism: the collapse of communism in eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, its causes (economic failure, Gorbachev's reforms, popular movements), and the end of the Cold War.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 9.7, on the fall of communism: the economic stagnation and political repression that undermined the Soviet bloc, Gorbachev's reforms, the popular movements that swept eastern Europe in 1989, and the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.
- Topic 9.13 Globalization: the deepening economic, technological, and cultural interconnection of the contemporary world, its effects on Europe, and the tensions and reactions it provoked.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 9.13, on globalization: the deepening economic, technological, and cultural interconnection of the contemporary world, its transformation of European economies and societies, the role of migration and integration, and the tensions and backlash it provoked.
Sources & how we know this
- AP European History Course and Exam Description — College Board (2020)