The Shadow of the Past

The Shadow of the Past
Author: Gregory D. Miller
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Total Pages: 249
Release: 2012-02-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0801464137

In The Shadow of the Past, Gregory D. Miller examines the role that reputation plays in international politics, emphasizing the importance of reliability-confidence that, based on past political actions, a country will make good on its promises-in the formation of military alliances. Challenging recent scholarship that focuses on the importance of credibility-a state's reputation for following through on its threats-Miller finds that reliable states have much greater freedom in forming alliances than those that invest resources in building military force but then use it inconsistently. To explore the formation and maintenance of alliances based on reputation, Miller draws on insights from both political science and business theory to track the evolution of great power relations before the First World War. He starts with the British decision to abandon "splendid isolation" in 1900 and examines three crises--the First Moroccan Crisis (1905-6), the Bosnia-Herzegovina Crisis (1908-9), and the Agadir Crisis (1911)-leading up to the war. He determines that states with a reputation for being a reliable ally have an easier time finding other reliable allies, and have greater autonomy within their alliances, than do states with a reputation for unreliability. Further, a history of reliability carries long-term benefits, as states tend not to lose allies even when their reputation declines.

Anglo-Soviet Relations, 1917-1921, Volume 3

Anglo-Soviet Relations, 1917-1921, Volume 3
Author: James Ramsey Ullman
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 537
Release: 2019-03-12
Genre: History
ISBN: 0691198489

In February 1920 the civil war that had ravaged Russia in the wake of the Bolshevik seizure of power was all but over, and with it the attempt of foreign governments to intervene on behlf of the anti-Communist forces. The government most deeply involved in this intervention was that of Great Britain. Yet scarcely a year later Britain was the first major power to come to terms with the new leadership in Moscow. Richard H. Ullman's account of that cautious coming to terms offers a perspective on the processes by which British foreign policy adjusted to the drastically changed circumstances of the aftermath of World War I. Another important theme is the way in which British policy, and the conceptions of peace and security that underlay it, diverged from that of Britain's closest ally, France. The book is, as well, a contribution of the growing literature on bureaucractic politics and the politics of foreign-policy making, and is a protracted essay on the statecraft and political style of David Lloyd George. It draws on many new sources, among them the interecepted and deciphered telegrams of the Soviet mission in London. Richard H. Ullman is Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. The Anglo-Soviet Accord is the third and final volume of his Anglo-Soviet Relations, 1917-1921. Originally published in 1973. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

British Foreign Policy Under Sir Edward Grey

British Foreign Policy Under Sir Edward Grey
Author: Francis Harry Hinsley
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 720
Release: 1977-09-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780521213479

First published in 1977 this book attempts a comprehensive and impartial account of British foreign policy from 1905 to 1916.

The Decline of Empires in South Asia

The Decline of Empires in South Asia
Author: Heather A. Campbell
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2022-04-21
Genre: History
ISBN: 1526775816

The post-First World War period was pivotal in global history, international relations and geopolitics. And no more than in South Asia. where for decades the 'Great Game' in geopolitical rivalry of the two greatest modern empires - Britain and Russia - had dominated international relations. But with the advent of Communism in Russia and growing nationalism and pan-Islamism in Afghanistan, Persia and India, Britian's imperial standing was under threat. Faced with these problems, some in the British government, such as Lord Curzon, the dominant imperialist in the British Foreign Office, fell back on what they knew - old patterns of rivalry and high-handedness that characterised the Great Game. Not all, however, agreed with Curzon, and with war in Afghanistan, civil unrest in India, and rising tensions in Persia, those who opposed this Great Game mindset advocated a new way forward for British foreign relations.

Europe, 1890-1945

Europe, 1890-1945
Author: Stephen J. Lee
Publisher: Psychology Press
Total Pages: 436
Release: 2003
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780415254557

In a unique style, this new approach to teaching and learning early twentieth century European history at A level focuses on the key topics within the period to meet the needs of teachers and students studying for revised AS and A2