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Who was Jean Monnet? History is an open book. It comprises our past represented as a tale of events, with mistakes and lessons, with victories and defeats. Each of us is still writing history putting the basis of chapters to complete the book. When we are talking about history, especially when we are talking about World War I and II, we have in mind a tragic period, and it is normal. World War I and II represented a tough period for several years. During these events, we can mention a lot of personalities who had a great impact felt even in the present. In the following rows, I will present the history of one of the founding fathers of the European Union.
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rom the international scene, today I choose to bring to the fore one of the famous actors, Jean Monnet. I am sure you have heard about him. His name appears in the European Union initiative “Jean Monnet Program” whose aim is to encourage teaching, research, and reflection in the field of European studies in higher education institutions. Here we can mention also the well-known Erasmus+ program. Maybe you wonder why I picked him from all the personalities? The answer is simple: inspiration through ambition, actions, intelligence. Jean Monnet was a French entrepreneur, diplomat, financier, administrator, and political visionary. He was the inspiration behind the “Schuman Plan” which foresaw the merger of the European heavy industry. Jean Monnet’s extraordinary interpersonal skills for a career in international business were developed at a young age. These skills were seen when he started working for the family run-cognac business in London. After this moment, he started to travel around the world as a businessman and later also as a banker. During both world wars, he held high-level positions relating to the coordination of industrial production in France and the United Kingdom. He couldn’t enroll for the first world
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