Jean Monnet: The Path to European Unity

When the Jean Monnet Council began its work in early 1988, it was the Monnet centennial. There was naturally much talk about how the new American organization should mark Monnet's anniversary in the year in which France would place his ashes in the Pantheon, the greatest honor which the grandest nation-state has devised to honor one of its citzens. Out of such concerns came this book. This volume resulted from the intersection of several generations of admirers of Jean Monnet. The April 1988 Council session, with a wide range of people interested in Monnet, decided that a book of essays representing both European and American writers was the most appropriate tribute from the country this remarkable Frenchman liked so much and where he had so many friends. The editors, who know Monnet only from his historical reputation, represent two generations of his admirers: those who remember the early post-war years and Monnet's work, and those too young for such recollections but who now recognize his enormous accomplishments. Another generation, those who worked directly with Monnet and knew those accomplishments and his characteristics firsthand, are also well represented in this unusual collection. Selecting the essays was not an easy task. So much had been written about Monnet that even reprinting the best would take far more than one large volume. Furthermore, much of that writing was in other languages so that translations, with all of their hazards, might be required. Finally, there were still aspects of Monnet's life not fully explored for which new writing was needed. We decided, therefore, on a mixed volume of American and European authors, and of both new and published pieces, including some translations which we commissioned.