Description
Book SynopsisOn 4 February 1919 in the League of Nations Commission at the Paris Peace Conference, Paul Hymans resisted minimal representation of small states on the League Council by shouting at Lord Robert Cecil, What you propose is a revival of the Holy Alliance of unhallowed memory!' It was Hymans, above all, who struggled to give the small states at the Conference a voice, making himself deeply disliked in the process. He was was rewarded by becoming the League's first president. Belgium had suffered the greatest degree of devastation in the Great War. When the country was liberated and the Peace Conference was set up, it was determined to succeed in its claims for territory and reparations. Equally important was the need for security from larger nations' ambitions. Only some of these would be achieved at Versailles, leaving a lasting legacy which influenced the country's policy as the Second World War approached. Hymans instigated Belgium's transition from the status of sheltered child to full participation in much great-power diplomacy.
Table of ContentsContents Prologue: Hymans at Paris Part One: THE LIFE AND THE LAND Chapter 1: The Crossroads of Europe Chapter 2: The First Career Chapter 3: In the Crucible Part Two: THE PEACE CONFERENCE Chapter 4: Baptism by Total Immersion Chapter 5: Territorial Aspirations Chapter 6: Economic Issues Chapter 7: Treaty Revision? Part Three: THE LEGACY Chapter 8: The Search for Security Chapter 9: The Hinge of the Entente Chapter 10: The Postwar Decade Chapter 11: The Prewar Decade Notes Chronology Further Reading Picture Sources Index
