Violent Peace: Media, Truth, and Power at the League of Nations

The League of Nations aimed to create a transnational, cosmopolitan dialogue on justice and shape global public opinion to support the postwar liberal international order. Carolyn N. Biltoft's book A Violent Peace reveals surprising links between the political use of modern information systems and the rise of mass violence in the interwar world, offering insights into the nature of totalitarian regimes and their use of media flows to demonize "others."

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 03 May 2021
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

The League of Nations, which was established after World War I, faced a world that was grappling with a multitude of challenges, including the growth of stateless populations and the resurgence of right-wing movements. In response, the League aimed to create a transnational and cosmopolitan dialogue on justice, seeking to shape global public opinion in favor of the postwar liberal international order. To achieve this, a vast army of League personnel set out to influence public opinion on a global scale.

Combining the tools of global intellectual history and cultural history, historian Carolyn N. Biltoft's book, A Violent Peace, reopens the archives of the League to reveal surprising links between the political use of modern information systems and the rise of mass violence in the interwar world. Through a detailed examination of conflicts over truth and power that played out at the League of Nations, Biltoft offers broad insights into the nature of totalitarian regimes and their use of media flows to demonize a wide range of "others."

A Violent Peace explores instability in information systems, the allure of fascism, and the contradictions at the heart of a global modernity. It paints a rich portrait of the emergence of the age of information, highlighting its many challenges and complexities. By examining the League of Nations' efforts to shape global public opinion and the ways in which these efforts intersected with the rise of mass violence, the book provides valuable insights into the ongoing struggles for justice and peace in the world today.

Weight: 302g
Dimension: 173 x 228 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226766423