Scandinavia and the Great Powers 1890-1940 PDF Download

Author: Patrick Salmon
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521891028
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 456

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Book Description
Survey of the changing position of all four Nordic states in twentieth-century international relations.

Author: Michael Jonas
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350046361
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description
This study is among the first works in English to comprehensively address the Scandinavian First World War experience in the larger international context of the war. It surveys the complex relationship between the belligerent great powers and Northern Europe's neutral small states in times of crisis and war. The book's overreaching rationale draws upon three underlying conceptual fields: neutrality and international law, hegemony and great power politics as well as diplomacy and policy-making of small states in the international arena. From a variety of angles, it examines the question of how neutrality was understood and perceived, negotiated and dealt with both among the Scandinavian states and the belligerent major powers, especially Britain, Germany and Russia. For a long time, the experience of neutral countries during the First World War was seen as marginal, and was overshadowed by the experiences of occupation and collaboration brought about by the Second World War. In this book, Jonas demonstrates how this perception has changed, with neutrality becoming an integral part of the multiple narratives of the First World War. It is an important contribution to the international history of the First World War, cultural-historically influenced approaches to diplomatic history and the growing area of neutrality studies.

Author: Sven-Olof Olsson
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135193150
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
As small, open economies the Nordic states have always been more dependent on foreign trade than larger powers, and have thus had a historic preference for free trade. But during the inter-war period the Nordic countries were squeezed between powerful and aggressive trading partners: above all Great Britain and Germany. Although the period between the end of the First World War and 1929 was marked by a return to a liberal world economy, the Great Depression ushered in a decade of protectionism. The bilateralisation of international trade was especially evident after Britain’s Ottawa treaties in 1932 and the Nazi seizure of power in 1933. Their dependence on trade with Britain and Germany meant that the Nordic countries were exposed to the full force of British and German bilateralism. The paradox is that in spite of international trade wars and regulated exchange the Nordic countries managed better than other European states during the interwar period, and that the Great Depression was not as deep or long lasting as in other countries. The chapters in this book discuss why and how this rather successful Nordic experience was achieved. The topics covered include commercial and monetary policies but also important industries such as forestry, agriculture and fishing. Many of the chapters are comparative and discuss economic developments in two or more Nordic countries.

Author: Herman Amersfoort
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004203214
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 385

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Book Description
In the period 1900-1940 the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Norway and Switzerland reacted in divergent ways to the same foreign military threats. This volume argues that their internal politics and politico-military strategic culture are vital keys to understanding those differences.

Author: Peter M.R. Stirk
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1474288510
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
This book examines the question of European unity, from 1918 to 1939. It focuses on the diversity of the various ideas and images of unity, illustrating how seriously they were taken by political actors at the time, and on the complex interplay of ideology and interest which shaped the idea and reality of Europe in this turbulent period. European Unity in Context takes an interdisciplinary approach to the question of Europe, incorporating the perspectives of historians, social scientists and literary specialists and thus offers valuable insights for students and scholars in history, politics, and literature alike.

Author: David Arter
Publisher: Manchester University Press
ISBN: 9780719051333
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 390

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Book Description
This volume represents a unique study of contemporary politics and policy-making in the five nation-states and three Home Rule territories of the Nordic region. Written in a lively and readable style by an expert in the field, its approach is systematically thematic and comparative. Chapters deal with current political science issues such as nation-building and state-building, party system change, semi-presidentialism and post-corporatism, as well as addressing intrinsically important regional questions such as whether or not there is a Nordic model of government, a distinctively Scandinavian form of parliamentarianism and a superior welfare system. There is also detailed discussion of the Nordic states in their strategic external environment, focusing on the post-war security configuration in northern Europe and the impact of European integration on Scandinavia.

Author: G. Bruce Strang
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317164164
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
Italy's invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 marked a turning point in interwar Europe. The last great European colonial conquest in Africa, the conflict represented an enormous gamble for the Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. He faced a challenge not only from a stout Ethiopian defence, but also from difficult logistics made worse by the League of Nations' half-hearted sanctions. Mussolini faced down this opposition, and Italian troops, aided by air superiority and liberal use of yprite gas, conquered Addis Ababa within eight months, a victory that shocked many military observers of the time with its speed and suddenness. The invasion had enormous repercussions on European international relations. In the midst of a national election campaign, the British National Government had felt constrained to support the League, despite fears that sanctions through the League could lead to war with Italy. The concentration of the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean Sea alienated Mussolini and placed the French government on the horns of dilemma; should France support its military partner, Italy, or its more important potential ally, Great Britain? French attempts to mark out a middle ground did little to placate the Duce, and the crisis seemed to develop a deep rift between Fascist Italy and the Anglo-French democracies, while at the same time creating a crisis in Anglo-French relations. Mussolini turned towards Nazi Germany in an attempt to end his diplomatic isolation during the sanctions episode, although Hitler considered the Duce's friendship a mixed blessing. The question of American adherence to sanctions increased ill will between British politicians and the Roosevelt administration in Washington, as each tended to blame the other for the failure of oil sanctions and the collapse of collective security. The international crisis posed similarly thorny problems for the smaller powers of Europe, and for Japan and the Soviet Union. The crisis impeded common defence against Fascist expansionism while giving impetus to claims of the revisionist powers. Despite the tremendous importance of the international crisis, however, little new work on the subject has appeared in recent decades. In this volume, an international cast of contributors take a fresh look at the crisis through the lens of new evidence and new approaches to international relations history to provide the most comprehensive coverage of the crisis currently possible, and their work provides new frames of reference for exploring imperialism, collective security and genocide.

Author: Marcus M. Payk
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198863837
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
This edited volume uncovers the extent of the contribution of lawyers to international politics over the past three hundred years. It also examines how practitioners of international relations, including politicians, diplomats, and military advisers, have considered their tasks in distinctly legal terms.

Author: Claes Ahlund
Publisher: Nordic Academic Press
ISBN: 9187121913
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 329

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Book Description
Denmark, Norway, and Sweden all managed to stay out of World War I, but all three countries were deeply affected by it. Opening with a systematically comparative introduction to the history of the Scandinavian countries during that time period, this account then presents 13 case studies examining the impact of the war on these neutral entities. From inflation and the shortage of consumer goods to widespread poverty and political unrest - not to mention the thousands of Scandinavian soldiers who participated in the war - this unique compilation 'analyzes the military and economic consequences as well as the vital political and social issues raised by the conflict.'

Author: Pascal Lottaz
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000402290
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
We thank Ekman & Co AB and Gadelius Holding Ltd for their kind and generous support, making this research available online for free. Lottaz and Ottosson explore the intricate relationship between neutral Sweden and Imperial Japan during the latter’s 15 years of warfare in Asia and in the Pacific. While Sweden’s relationship with European Axis powers took place under the premise of existential security concerns, the case of Japan was altogether different. Japan never was a threat to Sweden, militarily or economically. Nevertheless, Stockholm maintained a close relationship with Tokyo until Japan’s surrender in 1945. This book explores the reasons for that and therefore provides a study on the rationale and the value of neutrality in the Long Second World War. Sweden, Japan, and the Long Second World War is a valuable resource for scholars of the Second World War and of the history of neutrality.