Britain and the Intellectual Origins of the League of Nations, 1914–1919

An innovative study of the pre-history of the League of Nations, tracing the pro-League movement's unexpected development.

Sakiko Kaiga (Author)

9781108733540, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 8 December 2022

232 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.2 cm, 0.345 kg

'The narrative is based on detailed and careful archival research throughout … the exceptionally rich, archivally informed narrative … makes this volume essential reading for those interested in discovering more about a key component of the British intellectual roots of the League of Nations.' Thomas Davies, Journal of British Studies

In this innovative account of the origins of the idea of the League of Nations, Sakiko Kaiga casts new light on the pro-League of Nations movement in Britain in the era of the First World War, revealing its unexpected consequences for the development of the first international organisation for peace. Combining international, social, intellectual history and international relations, she challenges two misunderstandings about the role of the movement: that their ideas about a league were utopian and that its peaceful ideal appealed to the war-weary public. Kaiga demonstrates how the original post-war plan consisted of both realistic and idealistic views of international relations, and shows how it evolved and changed in tandem with the war. She provides a comprehensive analysis of the unknown origins of the League of Nations and highlights the transformation of international society and of ideas about war prevention in the twentieth century to the present.

Introduction
1. Precursors: Thinking about War and Peace before 1914
2. The Use of Force to Prevent War? The Bryce Group's Proposals for the Avoidance of War, 1914-15
3. Strategies for Winning Public Opinion: The Success and the Loss of the League of Nations Society, 1915-17
4. A Transnational Movement? The British and American Pro-League of Nations Groups, 1914-18
5. No Peace without Victory: The League of Victorious Allies, 1917-18
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: History of ideas [JFCX], History: specific events & topics [HBT], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], British & Irish history [HBJD1]