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Five Key Events Since WWII That Have Determined Our World
January 19 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm EST
With historian, author, and lecturer, Olivier Courteaux
Over the past 60 years, some events proved to be defining moments. The ambition of this series is to reveal why an event, whether it was perceived as significant or not at the time, is essential to our understanding of today’s global geopolitics. From Charles de Gaulle’s famous “non” to the UK joining the European Community in 1963, to the Tiananmen Square massacre and the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, a close look at five significant, historic events that marked our lifetimes.
On 14 January 1963, Charles de Gaulle vetoed unilaterally the UK’s application to join the European Economic Community (EEC), thus putting an end to months of tense negotiations. His arguments? Britain’s economic specificities were deemed ill-adapted to a successful partnership with the existing six EEC members. Were those arguments justified? What really happened? Did de Gaulle foresee the tumultuous relationship between the UK and Europe, which led to Brexit in 2016?
In the series:
Jan. 19: Charles de Gaulle said “non” to the UK joining the European Community. January 1963. Did he foresee Brexit?
Jan. 26: “Vive le Québec Libre”; de Gaulle in Quebec, July 24, 1967
Feb. 2: The fall of Saigon – The end of the Vietnam War, April 30, 1975
Feb. 9: Tiananmen Square massacre, June 3-4, 1989
Feb. 16: The fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Cold War? November 9, 1989
