The International Theory of Leonard Woolf : A Study in Twentieth-Century Idealism

Colonial civil servant, Fabian socialist, and eminence grise of the Bloomsbury circle, Leonard Woolf, was one of the most prolific writers on international relations of the early-mid twentieth century. His report for the Fabian Society, International Government, was influential in the creation of the League of Nations. He was a co-founder of the popular pressure group, the League of Nations Society. He was a leading critic of Empire. He helped to educate the British Labour Party on global issues, constructing, in 1929, its first credible foreign policy. With his wife, Virginia, he founded the celebrated Hogarth press. He pioneered "functionalist" and " transnationalist" theory. He pioneered documentary journalism. He wrote towards the end of his long life one of the most insightful autobiographies of the twentieth century.This book examines the thought of this fascinating and relatively unknown political thinker. It thoroughly reassesses his ideas, for decades condemned as 'utopian,' in the context of the much more fluid international scene of the twenty-first century. In particular, it asks whether his ideas about international government gained new pertinency in the post Cold War century.

Colonial civil servant, Fabian socialist, and eminence grise of the Bloomsbury circle, Leonard Woolf, was one of the most prolific writers on international relations of the early-mid twentieth century. His report for the Fabian Society, International Government, was influential in the creation of the League of Nations. He was a co-founder of the popular pressure group, the League of Nations Society. He was a leading critic of Empire. He helped to educate the British Labour Party on global issues, constructing, in 1929, its first credible foreign policy. With his wife, Virginia, he founded the celebrated Hogarth press. He pioneered "functionalist" and " transnationalist" theory. He pioneered documentary journalism. He wrote towards the end of his long life one of the most insightful autobiographies of the twentieth century.

This book examines the thought of this fascinating and relatively unknown political thinker. It thoroughly reassesses his ideas, for decades condemned as 'utopian,' in the context of the much more fluid international scene of the twenty-first century. In particular, it asks whether his ideas about international government gained new pertinency in the post Cold War century.

"Colonial civil servant, Fabian socialist, and eminence grise of the Bloomsbury circle, Leonard Woolf was one of the most prolific writers on international relations of the early-mid twentieth century. His report for the Fabian Society, International Government, was influential in the creation of the League of Nations. He was a co-founder of the popular pressure group, the League of Nations Society. He was a leading critic of Empire. He helped to educate the British Labour Party on global issues, constructing, in 1929, its first credible foreign policy. With his wife, Virginia, he founded the celebrated Hogarth press. He pioneered "functionalist" and "transnationalist" theory. He pioneered documentary journalism. He wrote towards the end of his long life one of the most insightful autobiographies of the twentieth century." "This book examines the thought of this relatively unknown political thinker. It thoroughly reassesses his ideas, for decades condemned as utopian, in the context of the much more fluid international scene of the twenty-first century. In particular, it asks whether his ideas about international government gained new pertinence in the post-Cold War century."--BOOK JACKET.ȩ̀ Colonial civil servant, Fabian socialist, and eminence grise of the Bloombury Circle, Leonard Woolf was one of the most prolific writers on international relations of the early to mid-Twentieth Century. His report for the Fabian Society, International Government , was influential on the creation of the League of Nations. He was co-founder of the popular pressure group, the League of Nations Society. He was a leading critic of empire. He helped to educate the British Labour Party on global issues, constructing, in 1929, its first credible foreign policy. With his wife, Virginia, he founded the celebrated Hogarth Press. He pioneered 'functionalist' and 'transnationalist' theory. He pioneered documentary journalism. He wrote towards the end of his long life one of the most insightful autobiographies of the Twentieth Century. This book examines the thought of this fascinating and relatively unknown political thinker. It thoroughly reassesses his ideas, for decades condemned as 'utopian', in the context of the much more fluid international scene of theTwenty-First century. In particular, it asks have his ideas about international government gained new pertinence in the post-Cold War world? Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Fabian, Internationalist, and “Interwar Idealist”....Pages 1-10 What is Idealism?....Pages 11-21 International Government: An Exposition....Pages 23-51 International Government: Analysis and Assessment....Pages 53-81 Imperialism: An Exposition....Pages 83-113 Imperialism: Analysis and Assessment....Pages 115-141 Liberal Internationalism, Anticapitalism, and Consumers’ Co-operation: Toward a Nonstate, Nonmarket Approach to International Economic Organization....Pages 143-175 The Idealist Counterattack: Mr. Woolf versus Professor Carr....Pages 177-207 Woolf’s Legacy: Ideals, Reason, and Historical Change....Pages 209-217 Back Matter....Pages 221-269 Leonard Woolf was one of the most prolific writers on international relations in the early mid-20th century. This book reassesses his ideas, for decades condemned as "utopian", in the context of the much more fluid international scene of the 21st century