9 Kindleberger writes consolingly that “from 1865 to 1867, ... the Latin Monetary Union worked reasonably well, and its success suggested the desirability of expanding it to arrive at a ‘universal money’” (p. 69). Now to post-World War II Europe, and the question of whether Europe has emerged stronger through crises.
The Treaty of Rome, establishing the European Economic Community (EEC), was signed in 1957 by the six original members: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany, the same group that had set up the Coal and Steel Community. The aim was economic integration among the six members, including a common market and a customs union.