The Great War and the Origins of Humanitarianism, 1918–1924

by Bruno Cabanes

The aftermath of the Great War brought the most troubled peacetime the world had ever seen. Survivors of the war were not only the soldiers who fought, the wounded in mind and body. They were also the stateless, the children who suffered war’s consequences, and later the victims of the great Russian famine of 1921 to 1923. Before the phrases ‘universal human rights’ and ‘non-governmental organization’ even existed, five remarkable men and women - René Cassin and Albert Thomas from France, Fridtjof Nansen from Norway, Herbert Hoover from the US and Eglantyne Jebb from Britain - understood that a new type of transnational organization was needed to face problems that respected no national boundaries or rivalries. Bruno Cabanes, a pioneer in the study of the aftermath of war, shows, through his vivid and revelatory history of individuals, organizations, and nations in crisis, how and when the right to human dignity first became inalienable.

Genres: History, European History

397 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2014

Reviews

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the writing is a bit dry, this is an incredibly informative history.

[Mandi Rollinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an informative book and I could tell that Cabanes cares deeply about the subject. I was delightfully surprised at the interdisciplinary nature of the book - nutrition and child rights and veteran's experience. I absolutely know more than I previously did about a decade (1920s) that does kinda get forgotten about in between WWI and WWII.

However, the down side of the book is that I think the author needs better topic sentences and summarizing sentences. I would think we were on one person or topic and there'd be a diversion to another. He'd have a reason to do so, but he didn't clearly explain it upfront. I found the book very boring to read and somewhat narcolepsy inducing.

[Joseph Stieb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review Pending.