Early Life and Education
Born in Belgium, Robert Muller grew up in the Alsace-Lorraine region in France as a French citizen. Alsace-Lorraine borders Germany. As a child his home was on the border. The border issues he saw as a child had a significant impact on his life, his decision to work at the United Nations and his co-founding of the University for Peace in Costa Rica. During his youth Robert Muller experienced constant political and cultural turmoil. He knew the horrors of World War II, of being a refugee, of the Nazi occupation in France, imprisonment and escape from prison. During the war he was a member of the French Resistance where towards the end of the war he unsuccessfully tried to prevent the slaughter a group of captured German soldiers. This was a major life event that led to work for peace. After the war he returned home and earned a Doctorate of Law from the University of Strasbourg. In 1948 he entered and won an essay contest on how to govern the world, the prize of which was an internship at the newly created United Nations.
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