Arms and Disarmament in Diplomacy

Armaments, their acquisition, employment, manufacture and supply, have, frequently in conjunction with initiatives aimed at avoiding and regulating conflict, been the subject matter of diplomacy throughout much of the twentieth century. This book, through nine essays by historians with a specialist interest in this field, presents a selection of case studies in which issues relating to armaments have figured large in diplomacy, from the Hague Peace Conference of 1899 through the early years of the United Nations. The essays draw upon the research of individual specialists to explore a theme which has otherwise been covered mainly by works which have confined themselves to narrower chronological periods. The book will, through a number of related contributions, help to provide a fuller understanding of how, since the end of the nineteenth century, diplomacy has responded to, and to some extent been shaped by, problems posed by the perceived need to control and regulate armaments and war.