Plans for the future of Central and Eastern Europe during the Second World War

Abstract

After the outbreak of the Second World War, the leadership of the United States sought to answer the question of what kind of world order would best reflect American ideals and serve American interests. Learning from the failures of the Versailles peace settlement that followed the First World War, U.S. foreign policy thinkers envisioned the creation of a more comprehensive and functional international system. Within the State Department, they established an internal advisory body — the Advisory Committee on Post-War Foreign Policy — to formulate postwar planning. In this study, I examine the plan that emerged within the committee for the creation of an East European Union, along with potential research directions related to it. The idea of a federation of Central and Eastern European countries was supported not only by émigré European politicians but also considered worthy of endorsement by several influential American foreign policy thinkers. However, the idea proved controversial and ultimately remained underdeveloped, fading away before it could become part of official U.S. foreign policy strategy. Yet the course of twentieth-century European history suggests that this question merits closer attention and deeper engagement with the relevant sources, particularly as debates over the United States’ role in European security and conflict resolution are likely to continue into the future. My primary aim is to contribute to a better understanding of how the Central and Eastern European region was perceived in American policymaking — and how the region responded in turn. Ultimately, this study explores paths not taken in the development of American policy — unrealized alternatives that may offer new perspectives on the history of the region