Interwar Idealism

Shunji CuiDepartment of Political Science

School of Public AffairsZhejiang University

Email: ssjcui@zju.edu.cn

IPT, L2:

IR: Introduction

1. The First WW and IR

2. Woodrow Wilson & Fourteen Points

3. Norman Angell

4. Enlightenment and Idealism

5. Idealism and its Critiques

The First World War

WWI & Its Impacts

WWI & Its Devastation: Scale: covered all industrial societies Destructive power: industrial warfare; hugely

traumatic experience in human history

Qs: Why was it that the war began in the first

place? Why the GPs such as B, F, G, A and others

persist in waging war?

你的诊断？你的处方？

Idealism:The Conventional Start of IR

The search for answers to above questions, and to know how ir works, how to avoid war

All from strong desire to know more about the subject, but there is also Anglo-American study in their cultural bias, the influence of Liberal ideas.

The causes of WWI: Leadership misperceptions / old system Autocratic leaders (G, A): unrestrained by democratic

institutions and under pressure from their generals; egoistic and short-sighted calculations and miscalculations;

Democratic leaders (B, F): drawn into the conflict by an interlocking system of military alliances.

Europe before WWI

Woodrow Wilson 伍德罗 ·威尔逊（ 1856-1924）

Fourteen Points ——消除战争实现和平的处方 Domestic & International

Reform Promotion of democracy

and self-determination Creation of an international

organization

Wilson's Fourteen Points 1. No more secret agreements ("Open covenants openly arrived at").2. Free navigation of all seas.3. An end to all economic barriers between countries.4. Countries to reduce weapon numbers.5. All decisions regarding the colonies should be impartial6. The German Army is to be removed from Russia. Russia should be left to

develop her own political set-up.7. Belgium should be independent like before the war.8. France should be fully liberated and allowed to recover Alsace-Lorraine9. All Italians are to be allowed to live in Italy. Italy's borders are to "along

clearly recognisable lines of nationality."10. Self-determination should be allowed for all those living in Austria-

Hungary.11. Self-determination and guarantees of independence should be allowed for

the Balkan states.12. The Turkish people should be governed by the Turkish government. Non-

Turks in the old Turkish Empire should govern themselves.13. An independent Poland should be created which should have access to

the sea.14. A League of Nations should be set up to guarantee the political and

territorial independence of all states.

处方 I: Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points

Domestic & International Reform

1. Promotion of democracy and self-determination. Wilson’s hope that the growth of liberal democracy in

Europe would put an end to autocratic and warlike leaders and put peaceful governments in their place.

Liberal convention that democratic governments do not and will not go to war against each other

2. Creation of an international organization From the earlier realist notions of the Concert of Europe

and the BOP to put relations between states on a firmer institutional foundation.

international institutions can promote peaceful cooperation among states.

Sir Norman Angell 诺曼 ·安及尔（ 1872-1967）

The Great Illusion (1910)

处方 II: Norman Angel, The Great Illusion (1909) The illusion == many statespeople still

believe that war serves profitable purposes; that success in war is beneficial for the winner.

In modern times: territorial conquest is extremely expensive and politically divisive because it severely disrupts international commerce.

A forerunner of modernization and economic interdependence thinking.

Enlightenment and The Liberal View Enlightenment:

Emphasis on human reason and individualism.

Reform society using reason liberal view of human and society1. Human beings are rational, and when they

apply reason to ir they can set up organizations for the benefit of all.

2. Public opinion is a constructive force;

3. From principle (theory) practices (empirical)

The Politics of Interwar Period

Some success in the 1920s; The establishment of League of Nation, and the role

of GPs to assure each other of their peaceful intentions.

The Briand-Kellogg pact of 1928 ——an international agreement to abolish war.

Main blows to Idealism Rise of Fascism and Nazism (Italy, Germany, Spain) Increase in Authoritarianism (Poland, Hungary,

Romania, Yugoslavia) The failure of the League of Nations The Great Depression