Mistakes and Myths: The Allies, Germany, and the Versailles Treaty, 1918–1921*
For nearly forty years, historians of twentieth-century diplomacy have argued that the Versailles treaty was more reasonable than its reputation suggests and that it did not of itself cause the Depression, the rise of Hitler, or World War II. Their efforts have had little effect, despite Margaret MacMillan’s best-selling Paris 1919. The distorted view of The Economic Consequences of the Peace and J. M. Keynes’s other works still dominates both the Anglo-American historical profession and the English-speaking educated public, though Zara Steiner pointed out in The Lights That Failed that the Versailles treaty was the mildest of the 1919–20 settlements. Despite scholarly opinion, condemnation of the Versailles treaty continues without cease. The latest addition to an immense literature, The Versailles Treaty and Its Legacy, by Edward M. Bennett and the late Norman A. Graebner,
Politics, Culture, and the Security of France: A Reinterpretation of French Foreign and Security Policy after the First World War
French foreign and security policy after the First World War has long been depicted as an attempt to use traditional strategies based on the balance of power and alliance politics to compel Germany to comply with its obligations under the Treaty of Versailles. The evolution of a more conciliatory policy after 1924 is typically understood as a response to pressure from Britain and the United States, as well as to French weakness. This interpretation ignores important internationalist currents in French thinking about security during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and their impact during and after the First World War. It also fails to account for key developments in the French public sphere after that conflict. This articles argues that an approach to security best described as 'juridical internationalism' played dan increasingly influential role in shaping national security policy during the early 1920s. The result was a gradual move away from a policy of confrontation and a growing emphasis on compulsory arbitration and binding mutual assistance. This process culminated in the Locarno Accords of 1925.
Busman's Honeymoon
A must-read for fans of Agatha Christie's Poirot and Margery Allingham's Campion Mysteries, Lord Peter Wimsey is the immortal amateur sleuth created by Dorothy L Sayers. They plan to have a quiet country honeymoon. Then Lord Peter Wimsey and his bride Harriet Vane find the previous owner's body in the cellar. Set in a country village seething with secrets and snobbery, this is Dorothy L. Sayers' last full-length detective novel. Variously described as a love story with detective interruptions and a detective story with romantic interruptions, it lives up to both descriptions with style.