The Peace That Never Was

‘Henig provides greater depth, and much more authority, than the textbooks. She is a sure, and also an entertaining, guide.’
History Review

Almost a century ago, in the aftermath of the carnage of the First World War, the League of Nations convened for the first time with the intention that it should seek to settle disputes between nations using diplomacy instead of war.

This concise history examines how the League was envisaged, the multifaceted body that emerged, how it was used in the ensuing years to counter territorial ambitions and restrict armaments, the instrumental role it played in the development of human rights, its failure to prevent the Second World War, and ultimately how the benefit of its experience helped to create a more effective United Nations.

RUTH HENIG is an Honorary Fellow of Lancaster University. Her books include Versailles and After 1919-33, The Originals of the Second World War, The Origins of the First World War, Weimar Republic and, as a co-author, Modern Europe 1870-1945. She was made a Life Peer in 2004, becoming Baroness Henig of Lancaster.