On their own behalf : Ewald Ammende, Europe's national minorities and the campaign for cultural autonomy ; 1920-1936

Cover image: Ewald Ammende (centre, front) and a group of unknown diplomats aboard a Hanseatic charabanc. Image from the Russian State Military Archive, Moscow. The paper on which this book is printed meets the requirements of "ISO 9706:1994, Information and documentation -Paper for documents -Requirements for permanence". What form should Europe take? Should it be based on 'nation states' or 'states of nations'? On what basis should European unification proceed? Should it be an élite undertaking pioneered by statesmen elected to democratic government offices, or should true unification also demand a significant European cultural forum open to spokesmen and -women representing the continent's nationality groups? Was the League of Nations really such a thing? Or was it a League of States? All these questions were posed by Ewald Ammende and his fellow minority associates during the 1920s. Coming to terms with the consequences of collapsed empires and at least four years of conflict, they were forced to consider how best to re-build their continent as if it were a tabula rasa . In the process, they provided intelligent, perceptive analyses of the national and international affairs of the day, particularly as they affected Central and Eastern Europe. Their voices, reflecting their status as national minorities and a geographical location beyond the borders of the post-war Great Powers, deserve to be written more thoroughly into the history of the interwar years. Their ideas still provide food for thought even today Annotation What form should Europe take? Should it be based on 'nation states' or 'states of nations'? On what basis should European unification proceed? Should it be an elite undertaking pioneered by statesmen elected to democratic government offices, or should true unification also demand a significant European cultural forum open to spokesmen and -women representing the continent's nationality groups? Was the League of Nations really such a thing? Or was it a League of States? All these questions were posed by Ewald Ammende and his fellow minority associates during the 1920s. Coming to terms with the consequences of collapsed empires and at least four years of conflict, they were forced to consider how best to re-build their continent as if it were a tabula rasa. In the process, they provided intelligent, perceptive analyses of the national and international affairs of the day, particularly as they affected Central and Eastern Europe.. On their own behalf: Ewald Ammende, Europe’s national minorities and the campaign for cultural autonomy 1920-1936 Table of Contents Preface Images Introduction: Why Baltic History is more difficult to write than German History ONE Brave new world: enterprise and aid TWO Liberal nationalist THREE Becoming a minority FOUR Achieving cultural autonomy FIVE Minority interests—European interests—global interests SIX Establishing the European Congress of Nationalities SEVEN The General Secretary: early optimism and its frustrations EIGHT 1929: year of the minorities NINE International national community thinking and a different kind of Pan-Europe TEN Critical challenges ELEVEN The new nationalist wave TWELVE When friends won't help THIRTEEN Aftermath FOURTEEN Fateful context FIFTEEN At Stalin's throat SIXTEEN Admitting defeat Conclusion: The need for more histories of national minorities Bibliography Index