Thinkers of the Twenty Years' Crisis : Inter-War Idealism Reassessed: Inter-War Idealism Reassessed

Front Cover
David Long, Peter Wilson
Clarendon Press, Dec 14, 1995 - 360 pages
This book reassesses the contribution to international thought of some of the most important thinkers of the inter-war period. It takes as its starting point E. H. Carr's famous critique which, more than any other work, established the reputation of the period as the `utopian' or `idealist' phase of international relations theorizing. This characterization of inter-war thought is scrutinized through ten detailed studies of such writers as Norman Angell, J. A. Hobson, J. M. Keynes, David Mitrany, and Alfred Zimmern. The studies demonstrate the diversity of perspectives within `idealism' and call into question the descriptive and analytical value of the entire notion. It is concluded that `idealism' is an overly general term, useful for scoring debating points rather than providing a helpful category for analysis.
 

Contents

Philip NoelBaker and Peace Through
25
David Davies and the Enforcement of Peace
58
The League
79
Norman Angell and Rationality in International
100
Leonard Woolf and International Government
122
J A Hobson and Economic Internationalism
161
J M Keynes Idealism and the Economic
189
David Mitrany and International Functionalism
214
Lord Lothian and the Federalist Critique of National
247
Arnold Toynbee Chatham House and Research
277
InterWar Idealism Liberal
302
Select Bibliography
329
Index
341
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