Jean Monnet

"The unifying force behind the birth of the European Union"

Full name:

Jean Omer Marie Gabriel Monnet

Date and place of birth:

9 November 1888, Cognac, Charente, France

Date and place of death:

16 March 1979 (aged 90), Bazoches-sur-Guyonne, France

Education:

Born in a family of cognac merchants, he met clients from various countries at the family dining table, which sparked his interest in international business and foreign languages.
Although he was a good student at the local school, he lacked interest in theoretical learning.
In 1905, at the age of sixteen, Jean Monnet chose not to complete his baccalaureat qualification. Instead, he moved to London to learn English and business from his father's local agent.

Career:

Between 1904 and 1914: He made various trips around the world as a cognac dealer.
1914: He improved coordination of war supplies between France and Britain (especially on maritime level).
1919: He was named Deputy Secretary General of the League of Nations upon its creation, due to the experience and reputation he acquired during the war.
At the end of 1922: Monnet left the League of Nations.
1923: He returned to Cognac and focused on modernizing his father's Cognac business.
From 1926 to 1938: He served as an economic and financial advisor, including notable work in China, Romania and Poland.
1939: At the beginning of the Second World War, he was named President of a Franco-British committee.
1940: Monnet played a significant role in proposing a Declaration of Union between the France and the United Kingdom.
Between 1940 and 1943: He also contributed to President Roosevelt's Victory Program (President of US).
1943: He was one of the members of the French Committee for National Liberation in Algier.
1945: He returned to France and was appointed Commissioner of Planning by General de Gaulle, his mission being the coordination of the reconstruction and modernization of France.
1952: Jean Monnet became the first President of ECSC after contributing to its creation.
1955: Monnet resigned from the High Authority after the French Parliament rejected his project (the European Defence Community) in 1954, and subsequently founded the Action Committee for the United States of Europe.
1975: He retired to his house in Houjarray to write his Memoirs.

The Monnet Plan:

1944: After the war, Monnet took charge of the national modernisation and development of the French economy.
1946: France launched the Modernization and Re-equipment Plan (the "Monnet Plan") to drive economic recovery after WWII. The plan aimed to modernize industry and boost production with a focus on expansion and efficiency. While not all goals were achieved, it significantly contributed to France's post-war economic growth and inspired the Schuman Plan.

Contribution to Europe:

Monnet's Initiative for EU Reconstruction - Founding the ECSC
- Jean Monnet, concerned about the slow pace of European reconstruction after World War II, initiated the Schuman Declaration in 1950 to unify German-French coal and steel production under a single authority.
- The declaration's success laid the foundation for the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). He was the first president of the ECSC's High Authority between 1952 and 1955.
Failed European Defense Plan: He tried and failed to create a European Defence Community in 1954.
Monnet's Push for European Integration: Undeterred, he continued to push for deeper European integration. In 1955, he founded the Action Committee for the United States of Europe, which significantly influenced the creation of the Common Market, the European Monetary System, the European Council summits, and the introduction of universal suffrage for European Parliament elections.

Vision for Europe:

Jean Monnet believed that economic interdependence among European nations was essential for preventing future conflicts. By sharing the production of coal and steel resources between the two most influential European countries (Germany and France), the chances of war would be significantly reduced.
He also championed the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), which he viewed as just the beginning of a larger effort to unite Europe and make war both unappealing and financially impractical.