Premium
Discreet Players: J ean M onnet, Transatlantic Networks and Policy‐Makers in International Co‐operation
Author(s) -
ChiraPascanut Constantin
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
jcms: journal of common market studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.54
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1468-5965
pISSN - 0021-9886
DOI - 10.1111/jcms.12142
Subject(s) - persuasion , politics , power (physics) , plan (archaeology) , political science , advertising , business , law , social psychology , history , psychology , physics , archaeology , quantum mechanics
The origins of the first supranational E uropean community can be traced back to the bold and imaginative proposal drafted by J ean M onnet in early 1950. Yet his plan entered history under a different name: that of the statesman who offered his political backing – R obert S chuman. This article investigates the factors that made it possible for political leaders to accept this ground‐breaking idea. Furthermore, it investigates the source of M onnet's power and influence, which helped to persuade various leaders at different times. By adopting a transnational network approach, it concludes that policy‐makers' acceptance of the coal and steel plan was the result of M onnet's special method of persuasion, developed and refined over the years, and the activity of and pressure exerted by his close network of influential transatlantic friends.