Starting in the 50s, under the influence of the American model, HEC was to make serious reforms to its pedagogy. The objective was clear: to break away from the traditional model of teaching in order to adapt to the new, more competitive and internationalized economic climate. HEC started a revolution of its own. The days of classes in colonial economics, in shorthand writing and in merchandise – which were meant to familiarize students with methods of manufacturing refined sugars and woolen materials- were over once and for all, and were replaced by classes in marketing, publicity and management. At its creation at the end of the 19th Century, HEC looked to teach the “children of the bourgeoisie” about the world of business. In the midst of a 20th Century full of promise, the School gave itself a new ambition: to train the leaders of tomorrow.