| The Labour Party, Nationalism and Internationalism, 1939-1951 Contributor(s): Douglas, R. M. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0714655236 ISBN-13: 9780714655239 Publisher: Routledge OUR PRICE: $237.50 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: July 2004 Annotation: The Second World War was a watershed moment in foreign policy for the Labour Party in Britain. Before the war, British socialists had held that nationalism was becoming obsolete and that humanity was steadily evolving towards the ideal of a single world government. The collapse of the League of Nations destroyed this optimistic vision, compelling Labour to undertake a fundamental review of its entire approach to foreign affairs during a period of unprecedented global crisis. This book traces the controversy that ensued, as the British democratic left set about the task of defining the principles of a radically new international system for the postwar world. The schemes proposed by Labour policymakers during these years encompassed a wide variety of political institutions aiming at the restraint or supersession of the sovereign nation-state. What they shared in common, however, was a reconceptualization of British identity, in which the hyper-patriotism of the wartime period blended with the left's traditional internationalism. This new 'muscular' internationalism was to have a major impact upon the evolution of entities as diverse as the United Nations Organizations, the British Commonwealth and the accelerating campaign in favor of European unity after Labour assumed the reins of government in 1945. Breaking with the traditional accounts that place Cold War tensions at the centre of the Attlee government's activities in the immediate postwar years, R.M. Douglas's book provides an entirely new framework for reassessing British foreign policy and left-wing concepts of national identity during the most turbulent moment of Britain's modern history. This book will beessential reading for all students and researchers of British foreign policy, the Labour Party and international relations. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Political Science | Political Process - Political Parties |
| Dewey: 324.241 |
| LCCN: 2003062608 |
| Series: Cass Series--British Foreign and Colonial Policy, |
| Physical Information: 0.91" H x 6.44" W x 9.48" (1.36 lbs) 320 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 1930's - Chronological Period - 1940's - Chronological Period - 1950's - Chronological Period - 20th Century |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The Second World War was a watershed moment in foreign policy for the Labour Party in Britain. This book traces how the British democratic left set about the task of defining the principles of a radically new international system for the post-war world. The author shows how the experience of total war fundamentally reshaped the left's attitudes toward national identity and international policy. Breaking with the traditional accounts that place Cold War tensions at the centre of the Attlee government's activities in the immediate postwar years, R. M. Douglas's book provides an entirely new framework for reassessing British foreign policy and left-wing concepts of national identity during the most turbulent mement of Britain's modern history. |
