Peace through law

About this book

In the 1920s it was thought in some circles that a promising road to peace lay in getting states to agree to take their disputes to the newly-established International Court. This book shows how a variety of pressures, both domestic and international (and not least from some of the British Dominions), resulted in Britain's initial refusal to accept such an obligation being reversed by the end of the decade. It was a Labour government which actually committed Britain to using the Court; but contrary to the common belief, the previous Conservative government was already moving in the same direction. In this, the 'peace through law' approach had achieved a remarkable success. The book is based on an exhaustive examination of British documents, and on discussions with one of the major British exponents of the 'peace through law' approach, Philip Noel-Baker. It throws light on the attitudes of great powers towards international adjudication, and an approach to peace that, after years of neglect, appears to have regained prominence in the wake of the ending of the Cold War.