The Lights that Failed: European International History 1919-1933 (Oxford History of Modern Europe)

"The peace treaties represented an almost impossible attempt to solve the problems caused by a murderous world war. In The Lights that Failed: European International History 1919-1933, part of the Oxford History of Modern Europe series, Steiner challenges the common assumption that the Treaty of Versailles led to the opening of a second European war. In a radically original way, this book characterizes the 1920s not as a frustrated prelude to a second global conflict but as a fascinating decade in its own right, when politicians and diplomats strove to re-assemble a viable European order. Steiner examines the efforts that failed but also those which gave hope for future promise, many of which are usually underestimated, if not ignored. She shows that an equilibrium was achieved, attained between a partial American withdrawal from Europe and the self-imposed constraints which the Soviet system imposed on exporting revolution. The stabilization painfully achieved in Europe reached it fragile limits after 1925, even prior to the financial crises that engulfed the continent. The hinge years between the great crash of 1929 and Hitler's achievement of power in 1933 devastatingly altered the balance between nationalism and internationalism. This wide-ranging study helps us grasp the decisive stages in this process. In a second volume, The Triumph of the Night, Steiner will examine the immediate lead up to the Second World War and its early years."-- Provided by publisher MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict PREFACE 6 CONTENTS 12 List of Maps and Figures 14 List of Tables 15 Prologue 18 Part I. The Reconstruction of Europe, 1918–1929 30 1. The Hall of Mirrors: Peacemaking in the West 32 2. Distant Frontiers: Peacemaking in the East 97 3. The Missing Party: The Soviet Union and the Post-War Settlements 148 4. The Primacy of Economics: Reconstruction in Western Europe, 1919–1924 199 5. The Primacy of Nationalism: Reconstruction in Eastern and Central Europe 273 6. Revolution from the Right: Italy, 1919–1925 331 7. The Geneva Dream: The League of Nations and Post-War Internationalism 366 8. New Dawn? Stabilization in Western Europe After Locarno 404 9. Faltering Reconstruction: Cracks in the Locarno Façade 474 10. Troubled Waters: Uncertainties in Italy, Eastern Europe, and the Soviet Union 511 11. Faltering Internationalism: Disarmament and Security after Locarno 582 Conclusion: Europe Reconstructed? 619 Part II. The Hinge Years, 1929–1933 650 12. The Diplomacy of the Depression: The Triumph of Economic Nationalism 652 13. The Manchurian Crisis: The European Powers and the Far East 724 14. The Poisoned Chalice: The Pursuit of Disarmament 772 Conclusion: The Hinge Years, 1929–1933 817 Appendices 834 A. Statistical Tables 834 B. Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers of selected European Powers 844 C. Chronology of International Events, 1918–1933 851 Bibliography 869 Primary Sources 869 Index 883 A 883 B 885 C 889 D 895 E 897 F 898 G 902 H 911 I 914 J 918 K 918 L 918 M 923 N 927 O 928 P 929 R 933 S 938 T 945 U 949 V 951 W 951 Y 954 Z 954 "The peace treaties represented an almost impossible attempt to solve the problems caused by a murderous world war. In The Lights that Failed: European International History 1919-1933, part of the Oxford History of Modern Europe series, Steiner challenges the common assumption that the Treaty of Versailles led to the opening of a second European war. In a radically original way, this book characterizes the 1920s not as a frustrated prelude to a second global conflict but as a fascinating decade in its own right, when politicians and diplomats strove to reassemble a viable European order. Steiner examines the efforts that failed but also those which gave hope for future promise, many of which are usually underestimated, if not ignored. She shows that an equilibrium was achieved, attained between a partial American withdrawal from Europe and the forced and self-imposed constraints which the Soviet system faced when exporting revolution. The stabilization painfully achieved in Europe reached its fragile limits after 1925, even prior to the financial crises that engulfed the continent. The hinge years between the great crash of 1929 and Hitler's coming to power in 1933 devastatingly altered the balance between nationalism and internationalism. This wide-ranging study helps us grasp the decisive stages in this process." "In a second volume, The Triumph of the Dark, Steiner will examine the events which led from Hitler's accession to the outbreak of the Second World War. Book jacket."--Jacket In 'the Lights That Failed', Steiner Challenges The Assumption That The Treaty Of Versailles Led To The Opening Of A Second European War And Provides An Analysis Of The Attempts To Reconstruct Europe During The 1920s. Zara Steiner. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [852]-865) And Index.