The Dillon Round

Abstract

The dominant political and economic event of the late 1950s was the signing of the Treaty of Rome on 25 March 1957 and the formation of the European Economic Community on 1 January 1958. This event was welcomed by the United States and other members of the international community on two grounds. First, the stimulus to economic growth that was anticipated to flow from European economic integration would provide a strong economic foundation for the Western military alliance. Second, and more importantly, it was thought that economic integration would prevent the re-emergence of the traditional political conflicts amongst the nations of Western Europe that had led to the wars which, three times in the previous century, had soaked Europe in blood.