Peace & Reconciliation

Winston Churchill

British Prime Minister, visionary of a united Europe

1874 - 1965 United Kingdom

In his famous 1946 Zurich speech, he called for the creation of a "United States of Europe" to guarantee peace on the continent, laying one of the first intellectual foundations of European unification.

Konrad Adenauer

Chancellor of West Germany, architect of reconciliation

1876 - 1967 Germany

First Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (1949-1963), he formed the first "Franco-German couple" with Charles de Gaulle and signed the Élysée Treaty in 1963, sealing reconciliation between the two countries.

Alcide De Gasperi

Italian Prime Minister, architect of reconciliation

1881 - 1954 Italy

Head of the Italian government from 1945 to 1953, he was one of the principal architects of European reconciliation and the creation of the ECSC, placing post-war Italy at the heart of the European project.

In 1984, their silent handshake in front of the Douaumont ossuary at Verdun became the most powerful image of Franco-German reconciliation. Together, they drove forward the Maastricht Treaty and the creation of the euro.

Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs and a passionate advocate of EU enlargement and intercultural dialogue, she was assassinated in 2003. The Anna Lindh Foundation today carries on her commitment to peace between peoples.

Avec Konrad Adenauer, il a scellé la réconciliation franco-allemande par le traité de l'Élysée en 1963. Sans cette poignée de main historique entre deux anciens ennemis, l'Europe que nous connaissons n'existerait pas.