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The struggle for independence

“Vade Retro domum” - “Nolo Relinquere”

claimed that Eurafrika would combine European high culture and African "primitive"
vitalism to benefit both continents.

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In the UK, British politician Oswald Mosley suggested a Third Position approach to
Eurafrica. He founded the Union Movement, calling for the integration of Europe into a

single entity on base of the slogan "Europe a Nation". As part of this, he saw a need for a
merger of Europe with Africa as a source of minerals, agricultural produce and new lands

for European settlement. Mosley's conception of Eurafrica included upholding apartheid
in South Africa, but also cooperation with natives in central and northern Africa.

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Postwar France continued in trying to use the process of European Unification as base of
its colonial influences and managed to streamline early European development policy

according to its colonial goals.

Until the 1960s, the French governments failed to grasp decolonization and provide a
working strategy on it. Algeria was technically no French colony as it consisted of three

French Departments with about a million inhabitants of European descent, the later
pieds-noirs. The French tried to keep Algeria in their Eurafrican space and suggested in
1958 large infrastructure investments ('Constantine Plan') to maintain Algeria

economically within their realm. France was well aware that the Algerian Departments
were not viable under the conditions of the Common Market and gained some exemption

clauses in the Treaty of Rome. European integration put France under pressure, as it had
guaranteed various commitments to Algeria in the Evian Accords but had to reduce
protectionism and trade barriers according at the same time.

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Eurafrica subsequently played an important role in forging the European union and

associated treaties, as at the Yaoundé Conventions in 1958 and later.

The Treaty of Rome from 1957 was an important milestone, as France (and Belgium)
were now willing to enter a stronger European market based on the condition of

association of and the provision of European funds for the remaining colonial realm.
Germany, the Netherlands and Luxemburg were rather sceptical. Western Germany,
however, traded an improvement of its own political standing - after tough negotiations