ABSTRACT
The historiography of European integration is dominated by legends of great men. Most histories emphasize the role of a small band of leading statesmen with a shared vision. For the Community’s supporters they have become saints, men who held fast to their faith in European unity and through the righteousness of their beliefs and the singlemindedness of their actions overcame the doubting faithlessness of the world around them. Monnet, Schuman and Spaak are honoured above others in the calendar, although Adenauer and de Gasperi stand in almost equal rank. Their photographic ikons decorate the walls of the Berlaimont building, while cheap coloured reproductions of the archsaint Monnet adorn the desks of their faithful servants on earth.
