Final answer:
The Treaty of Rome, established in 1957, created the European Economic Community and promoted European integration through economic cooperation, leading to today's European Union.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Treaty of Rome
The Treaty of Rome, which was established in 1957, provided for the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC). It laid down key objectives such as the establishment of a common market and a customs union among the six founding countries: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany.
The Treaty of Rome is a pivotal document in European history, as it set the stage for the development of the European Union (EU). The treaty included the removal of trade barriers, the introduction of a common external tariff, and the promotion of free movement of goods, services, capital, and people.
While the Treaty of Rome is a separate entity from the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I, they share a theme of restructuring Europe in the aftermath of conflict.
The Treaty of Rome sought economic integration to ensure peace and stability in Europe, whereas the Treaty of Versailles focused on punishing aggression and redrawing European borders. The EU has evolved into a unifying force from these earlier attempts at cooperation and peacekeeping, like the League of Nations, which ultimately proved ineffective.