Caught in the Middle: Neutrals, Neutrality and the First World War: 03 (War, Conflict and Genocide Studies) - Softcover

Den Hertog, Johan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 9052603707 ISBN 13: 9789052603704

Publisher: Aksant, 2014

Synopsis

During the First World War, belligerents infringed on the rights and duties of neutrals, as these had been codified in international agreements. Both the Allies and the Central Powers pressured the neutrals to modify their policies in favour of one side or the other. During the four-and-a-half years the war lasted, this pressure mounted until the neutrals were left with very little room to manoeuvre. More than fifty years ago, Nils Ørvik stated that this disregard for international law, combined with the relative weakness of the European neutrals, spelled the end of traditional political neutrality. Caught in the Middle discusses this thesis based on new research from Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Spain and the USA. The result is the first comparative study in English on First World War neutrality. The contributors cover not only several countries involved, but also multiple aspects of the concept of neutrality: political, economic, cultural and legal. They reassess the notion of neutrality and the role of neutrals during the First World War, making this collection of great value to all scholars of neutrality, the history of individual neutral countries and of the war itself.

About this title

About the Author

Johan den Hertog is a postdoctoral researcher at Leiden University. Samuël Kruizinga is a doctoral student at the University of Amsterdam and a research fellow at the National Maritime Museum, Amsterdam.

From the Back Cover

De positie van neutrale landen in de Eerste Wereldoorlog.

Tijdens de Eerste Wereldoorlog maakten de oorlogvoerende landen inbreuk op de rechten en plichten van neutrale landen, zoals deze waren vastgelegd in internationale verdragen. Zowel de Geallieerden als de centrale mogendheden zetten de neutralen onder druk om hun beleid te wijzigen en hen te steunen. Tijdens de vier-en-een half jaar durende oorlog bouwde deze druk zich op tot het punt dat de neutrale landen nog maar weinig ruimte hadden om te manoeuvreren.

Meer dan vijftig jaar geleden, verklaarde Nils Ørvik dat deze minachting voor het internationaal recht, in combinatie met de relatieve zwakte van de Europese neutralen, het einde van de traditionele politieke neutraliteit betekende. In 'Caught in the Middle' wordt deze stelling opnieuw bekeken op basis van nieuw onderzoek uit Scandinavië, Nederland, Spanje en de VS. Het resultaat is de eerste vergelijkende studie in het Engels over neutraliteit in de Eerste Wereldoorlog.

- Johan den Hertog is postdoctoraal onderzoeker aan de Universiteit van Leiden.
- Samuël Kruizinga is doctoraal student aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam en onderzoeker bij het Nationaal Maritiem Museum in Amsterdam.

From the Inside Flap

During the First World War, belligerents infringed on the rights and duties of neutrals, as these had been codified in international agreements. Both the Allies and the Central Powers pressured the neutrals to modify their policies to favour them over their adversaries. During the four-and-a-half years the war lasted, this pressure mounted until the neutrals were left with very little room to manoeuvre.More than fifty years ago, Nils Ørvik stated that this disregard for international law, combined with the relative weakness of the European neutrals, spelled the end of traditional political neutrality. Caught in the Middle discusses this thesis based on new research from Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Spain and the USA. The result is the first comparative study in English on First World War neutrality.The contributors cover not only several countries involved, but also multiple aspects of the concept of neutrality: political, economic, cultural and legal. They reassess the notion of neutrality and the role of neutrals during the First World War, making this collection of great value to all scholars of both neutrality, the history of individual neutral countries, and of the war itself.

Edition details

• Publisher: Aksant
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9052603707
• ISBN 13: 9789052603704
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 184