The Great IllusionFirst published in 1909, The Great Illusion sets out to answer one of the greatest questions in human history: Why is there war? Specifically, Angell wishes to discuss why there is war between the countries of Europe, which seem to always be at one another's throats. Angell refutes the belief that military power results in greater wealth and instead proposes that advanced economies based on trade and contract law can only generate value in the absence of military upset. War destroys any wealth that conquerors may have wanted to obtain, making the whole enterprise pointless. A deep understanding of this would, then, end the need for war. Students of history, political science, and peace studies will find much to ponder and much to argue with in this classic text. British journalist and politician SIR RALPH NORMAN ANGELL (1872-1967) was an executive for the World Committee against War and Fascism and a member of the executive committee of the League of Nations Union. Knighted in 1931, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1933. From 1905 to 1912, he was the Paris editor for the Daily Mail, and served as a Labour MP from 1929 to 1931. He is also the author of Peace Theories and the Balkan War and The Fruits of Victory. |
Contents
3 | |
13 | |
THE GREAT ILLUSION | 26 |
THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF CONFISCATION | 46 |
FOREIGN TRADE AND MILITARY POWER | 62 |
THE INDEMNITY FUTILITY | 80 |
HOW COLONIES ARE OWNED | 97 |
THE FIGHT FOR THE PLACE IN THE SUN | 119 |
UNCHANGING HUMAN NATURE | 200 |
DO THE warlike NATIONS INHERIT THE EARTH? | 222 |
CHAPTER V | 243 |
PSY CHOLOGICAL RESULTS | 257 |
A FALSE ANALOGY AND ITS CONSEQUENCES | 289 |
PART III | 315 |
THE RELATION OF DEFENCE TO AGGRESSION | 317 |
ARMAMENT BUT NOT ALONE ARMAMENT | 327 |
THE BEARING OF RECENT HISTORY | 138 |
PART II | 159 |
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CASE FOR WAR | 161 |
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CASE FOR PEACE | 173 |
IS THE POLITICAL REFORMATION POSSIBLE? | 337 |
METHODS | 350 |
363 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Admiral Mahan advantage aggression Alsace-Lorraine American Anglo-Saxon Argentina armaments army bank Bank of England become Belgium Britain British Empire Canada casus belli chapter civilization co-operation Cobdenite Colonies commercial conception condition conflict conquered conqueror conquest Daily Mail defence depends domination Dreadnoughts economic England English Europe European fact factors fight foreign France Frederic Harrison French futile German German Empire Germany's Government Homer Lea human nature ideals impossible indemnity industrial interdependence interest involved labour less live London man's markets matter means ment militarist military power millions modern moral Morocco Mother Country motive nations navy neighbours organism patriotism peace physical force political population possessions possible profit prosperity pugnacity question race realize religious result rival rôle Russia social soldier South Africa Spain Spanish struggle survival Switzerland tendency territory thing thousand tion to-day trade tribute truth warlike wealth whole