European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)

The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was a groundbreaking international organization established after World War II to integrate the coal and steel industries of six European countries. Its main goal was to prevent future wars, especially between France and Germany, by making war "not only unthinkable but materially impossible" through economic interdependence. The ECSC laid the foundation for what would eventually become the <a href="/article/european-union">European Union</a>.