War ends in Europe 

5 June 1947

General George C. Marshall gives Commencement Day address at Harvard 

18 June 1947

British and French Foreign Ministers issue a joint communique welcoming General Marshall's proposals 

27 June - 2 July 1947

British, French and Russian Foreign Ministers hold talks 

12 July 1947

16 European nations hold conference in Paris and set up Committee of Cooperation 

4 April 1948

President Truman signs the Economic Cooperation Act 

5 April 1948

The Reconstruction Finance Corporation initiates the ERP (European Recovery Program)

16 April 1948

Convention for European Economic Cooperation establishes OEEC (Organisation for European Economic Co-operation)

4 April 1949

12 nations sign the North Atlantic Treaty 

5 May 1949

Statute of the Council of Europe is signed 

26 May 1949

Federal Republic of Germany is founded

7 October 1949

German Democratic Republic is founded

25 March 1957

Six European nations sign the Treaty of Rome 

1 January 1958

The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into operation 

The fall of the Berlin Wall signals end of the Cold War 

50th Anniversary of General Marshall's historic address