The Mechanics of Internationalism

Book excerpt: This collection of essays by American and European scholars traces the origins of modern internationalism and the emergence of global society in the nineteenth century. It offers a fresh approach to the study of international history by looking at the structural prerequisites of the thriving internationalism before the First World War. Thus it links political and social movements trying to reform society and politics by way of transnational co-operation with the process of internationalizing cultural, political, and economic practices. The volume is less concerned with classical diplomatic history than with the increased, yet ambivalent, transnational linking of societies. The subjects covered range from the creation of international standards, the search for a monarchical international, and the making of international women's organizations to the emergence of fashionable meeting places. The book provides a genuine historical perspective on present phenomena.