Internationalism Reconfigured: Transnational Ideas and Movements Between the World Wars (International Library of Twentieth Century History)

Many historians have written off the significance of interwar internationalism. They have presented the League of Nations and the campaigns of internationally-minded groups as idealistic failures in an age that was characterized by international tension and aggressive nationalisms. This book challenges such narratives by assessing transnational projects that were launched or transformed after World War One, particularly the interaction of the League of Nations with specific groups or associations. The authors reveal the different rationales and stimuli for international cooperation in this period. With fresh research from several European countries, this book makes an original contribution to the transnational history of the interwar years. Many historians have downplayed the significance of interwar internationalism, treating the League of Nations and the efforts of internationalists as idealistic failures in an age that was characterised by international tensions and aggressive nationalisms. ‘Internationalism Reconfigured'challenges such narratives by assessing transnational projects that were launched or transformed after World War One. In the face of national antagonisms, it proved challenging to re-establish international norms or organisations. Yet the League of Nations offered a new framework for activists, experts and policymakers. Consequently, and in spite of the legacy of war and the emergence of new conflicts, the years between 1919 and 1939 saw a great variety of transnational endeavours, shaped by a belief in the feasibility of a new global order. The chapters in this book offer an in-depth discussion of specific transnational movements and organisations. They explore how the League of Nations system engaged with governments or non-state actors, and shed light on the contrasting rationales for transnational cooperation. As a whole, the volume highlights both the extent and the boundaries of interwar internationalism. It also reveals the contrasting motivations that informed internationalist action. With fresh research from several European countries, the book makes an original contribution to the transnational history of the interwar years. Cover Contents List of Abbreviations Acknowledgments Preface -- Daniel Laqua Introduction: Conceptualising Internationalism Between the World Wars -- Patricia Clavin Part A - INFRASTRUCTURES AND IDEAS OF INTERNATIONALISM Liberal Internationalist Approaches to Science and Technology in Interwar Britain and The United States -- Waqar Zaidi Expert For Peace: Structures and Motivations of Philanthropic Internationalism in the Interwar Years -- Katharina Rietzler In Between 'Vague Theory' and 'Sound Practical Lines': Transnational Municipalism in Interwar Europe -- Stefan Couperus PART B - THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS AND THE EFFORTS OF NON-STATE ACTORS 'The Breath of a New Life'? British Anti-Slavery Activism and the League of Nations -- Amalia Ribi Internationalism in the Economic and Financial Organization of the League of Nations -- Yann Decorzant 'Credit or Chaos'? The Austrian Stabilisation Programme of 1923 and the League of Nations -- Frank Beyersdorf PART C - THE TRANSNATIONAL AND NATIONAL CONTEXTS OF ADVOCACY 'A Real Meeting of the Women of the East and the West': Women and Internationalism in the Interwar Period -- Marie Sandell The Lifeblood of the League? Voluntary Associations and League of Nations Activism in Britain -- Helen McCarthy Reconciliation and the Post-War Order: The Place of the Deutsche Liga fur Menschenrechte in Interwar Pacifism -- Daniel Laqua Notes on Contributors Index Many historians have downplayed the significance of interwar internationalism. They have presented the League of Nations and the campaigns of internationally-minded groups as idealistic failures in an age that was characterised by international tension and aggressive nationalisms. This book challenges such narratives by assessing transnational projects that were launched or transformed after World War One, particularly the interaction of the League of Nations with specific groups or associations. The authors reveal the different rationales and stimuli for international cooperation in this period. With fresh research from several European countries, this book makes an original contribution to the transnational history of the interwar years. Many historians have underestimated the significance of interwar internationalism, treating the League of Nations and the efforts of internationalists as idealistic failures in an age that was characterised by international tensions and aggressive nationalisms Edited By Daniel Laqua. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.