The transformation of Europe since the end of World War II has been astounding. In 1945, a battle scarred continent lay in ruins. Today, it has achieved a level of integration, prosperity, and stability that few people could have anticipated. The life and career of the French statesman Jean Monnet and the recent adoption of the euro as Europe's common currency represent the bookends of this half century long metamorphosis.
This collection of essays, drawn from the lectures of the 1999 Baker Conference at Ohio University, explores Monnet's vision of an integrated Europe, its gradual...