Shortly after the outbreak of World War II, Germany defeated France in 1940. Four years later, with the decisive support of the U.S., the U.K. and Canada, France was liberated from German occupation. At the end of the war, it became one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with veto power. The U.S. and the U.K. wanted the France they had helped liberate to re-emerge as a major power in post-war Europe. There were two principal reasons for this: to prevent Germany from becoming dominant once again and to establish a strong Western European state capable of balancing the Soviet Union.
The central figure of the French resistance during this period was French general and statesman Charles de Gaulle. De Gaulle envisioned a France that would remain an independent global power while taking part in the process of European integration. Despite France's status as a permanent member of the UNSC, De Gaulle believed that European integration could reduce France's political weight by placing it on the same footing as medium-sized European states and increasing the influence of supranational institutions.
Unlike the hardline nationalists of his time, he was not opposed to European integration. He believed that it would help keep Germany under control, strengthen France economically, reduce its dependence on the U.S., and reinforce Western Europe against the Soviet threat. In his view, these objectives would ultimately deliver greater security, stability and prosperity.
