Decisions and Diplomacy Studies in Twentieth Century International History

Decision making and diplomacy are key elements of twentieth century international history. Focusing particularly on the origins and aftermath of the Second World War, but expanding the scope broadly, this volume includes original papers on the management of British foreign policy between 1914 and 1945; the League of Nations and its impact on national and international diplomacy in the 1930s; the response of key powers to international crises and events such as the Manchurian crisis, the Abyssinian crisis, the Spanish Civil War and the Korean War; the intricacies and significance of conference diplomacy, such as the Geneva Disarmament Conference of 1932-34 and the Anglo-American relations post-1945. Each essay has been specially commissioned to cover an important aspect of decision-making and diplomacy in the twentieth century which is under-researched.

The growing significance of international history and relations in recent years has been reflected in a growth of research and development of new courses. This collection of essays focus on three broad themes: the League of Nations and collective security, problems in British foreign policy, and European/International security in the interwar years. The book, in memory of Esmonde Robertson and George Grn, distinguished historians of the London School of Economics, contains papers commissioned from some of the most formidable names in international history.

Foreword by Donald Cameron Watt Introduction 1. Economics and the crisis of British Foreign Policy management, 1914-45 2. Intelligence and the Lytton Commission, 1931-34 3. The Geneva Disarmament Conference, 1932-34 4. The Chiefs of Staff, the `men-on-the-spot' and the Italo-Abyssinian emergency, 1935-36 5. The `proffered gift': the Vatican and the abortive Yugoslav concordat of 1935-37 6. Britain, France and the Spanish problem, 1936-39 7. Britain and appeasement in the late 1930s: was there a League of Nations' alternative 8. The atomic bomb and the Korean War 9. Restoring the `special relationship': the Bermuda and Washington conferences, 1957