Peacemaking 1919: Being Reminiscences of the Paris Peace Conference

by Harold Nicolson

Recollections of a British diplomat, who was a member of the Peace delegation of Great Britain at Paris. He "Given the atmosphere at the time, given the passions aroused in all democracies by four years of war, it would have been impossible even for supermen to devise a peace of moderation and righteousness."

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War

412 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1933

About the author

Sir Harold George Nicolson KCVO CMG was an English diplomat, author, diarist and politician. He was the husband of writer Vita Sackville-West, their unusual relationship being described in their son's book, Portrait of a Marriage.

Reviews

[Simon Dobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A minor participant's view of the making of the Treaty of Versailles.

It's strange to see the inside view: strange to realise that the things that later generations perceived were mistakes were often understood to be mistakes at the time – but that events carried the negotiators along, and their differing beliefs and goals, as well as their incongruent personalities, made it impossible to avoid the consequences. Many world statesmen appear, and most come out reasonably well – the exception being Woodrow Wilson. This book is a great precursor, and complement, to the histories of the run-up to the next war and helps contextualise many of the events that often seem inexplicable.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

quite an unique look back at the Treaty of Versailles by someone (Brit diplomat) who was initially very taken by Wilson's goals. Published in 1933 and based on his diary, it documents why the peace process was flawed, and given the political/popular sentiments in Britain, US, and France, why Wilson and others could not get a more reasonable settlement.

Wilson (and Nicolson) understood that harsh, punitive terms for Germany would lead to bad outcomes in the future. Nicolson

[Tom DeMarco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readable, slightly quirky first-hand account of the Paris peace conference. Nice companion-piece to Macmillan.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I've read in a couple of years. Yes the language and assumptions (readers, historians, future treaty writers will all be men) as well as a definite whiff of anti-semitism and his blanket views of South Easter Europe - The Turk, the Magyar, the Bulgar are very Victorian, but once you get past that and realise it's written 100 year ago by someone born in Victorian times, it is truly superb.
He is very good on the characters of the main players, especially the often hagiographically described Woodrow Wilson and doesn't shy from the faults of his British team. His description of the jingoistic Daily Mail, it's owner and The Times newspapers and the 1918 intake of new MPs reads like he is predicting UK 2015!
In the second half of the book, the diary, he really does express the complexity of redrawing national boundaries, the ethnic trouble it is still causing today in to name a few: Azerbaijan, Palestine, the Balkans, Syria, again seems prescient
As a book describing the end of WWI it makes a great bookend to Barbara Tuchman's Guns of August describing the beginning

[Pinko Palest]

very interesting, although feels a bit dated today. Plus, there is a disturbing orientalism throughout. Seems to have influenced a lot of people though, especially those who arranged things after WW2, even though there never was an actual peace treaty, of the sort he envisaged

[Alan Saltman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicholson provides a lot of information in a book that is easily digested.