The Second International, 1889-1914.

by James Joll
Review by: Isaac Deutscher
International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1944-), Vol. 32, No. 1 (Jan.,
1956), pp. 88-89
Published by: Wiley on behalf of the Royal Institute of International Affairs
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88 INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS LVOL. 32, NO. I

HISTORY
LES DELIBERATIONSDU CONSEIL DES QUATRE (24 Mars-28 Juin I9I9). Vol. I.
Jusqu'a la DelegationAllemandedes Conditionsde Paix. By Paul Man-
toux. Paris, CentreNational de la RechercheScientifique, I955. 521 pp.
Index. 92" x 6-". Frs. i,8oo.
THE turningpointof the Peace Conference of I9I9 was reachedduringthe last
weekofMarchwhencontrolpassed fromtheunwieldyCouncilofTen to theBig
Four,whoat oncegotto gripswiththevitalcontroversial issues. The firstmeet-
ing of the Councilof Four was held on the afternoonof 24 Marchimmediately
beforethefinalsessionofthe CouncilofTen, and theregularsessionscontinued
untilthe signingof the Treatyof Versailles. From i9 Aprilonwardsthe Four
had a regularSecretary,Sir Maurice (now Lord) Hankey, and his recordsof
decisionsand instructionsforfurther action,quiterecentlygivenofficial publica-
tion,provideus witha documentary seriesofthe highestimportance.The gap
between24 Marchand I9 Aprilremainedto be bridgedand forthis operation
M. Paul Mantouxalonecouldsupplythematerial.He it was whoacted as inter-
preterforthe Four rightfromthe beginningand to facilitatetranslationmade
his own notesofwhatwas actuallysaid.
The presentation ofhis records,mainlyin the formofdirectspeech,through
the mediumof thisvolumeis, therefore, of greatinterestto all studentsof the
Paris Conference, fortheyprovidean independentand supplementary sourceof
information forthewholeperiodoftheCouncilofFour. Theirmainvalue,how-
ever,lies in thegivingofessentialdetails,hithertolacking,concerning the early
phase beforethe Hankeyrecordbegan. For morethanhalfits lengththisbook
recordsdiscussionswhich,as the footnotesremindus, are not coveredby the
Hankeyseries,and it was throughthesediscussionsat theend ofMarchand the
beginningofAprilI9I9, thatthemainfabricofthesettlement was builtup.
At an earlymeetingLloydGeorgebroughthiscolleaguesto a discussionofhis
Fontainebleaumemorandum in whichhe had taken a firstlook at the German
settlementas a unifiedwhole,and in turnthe vital issues of Reparation,War
Guilt,the Rhineland,the Saar, Danzig, and the Germano-Polish frontierwere
tackledin earnestat longlast. At thesametimetheFour had to reachexecutive
decisionsconcerningthe transferof Polish troopsfromwest to east and the
counteringof the threatof Bolshevismin easternand south-eastern Europe,so
that thesejottingsofM. Mantouxsound a topicalnote at the presenttime.
F. S. MARSTON
THE SECONDINTERNATIONAL, I889-I9I4. By James Joll. London, Weiden-
feld& Nicolson,I955. 2I3 pp. Illus. Bibliog. Index. 8k"X 5k". I8s.
MR JOLL'Sshorthistoryof the SocialistInternationalduringthe firsttwenty-
fiveyearsofits existence(I889-I9I4) is based on fairlywidereading,is written
lucidlyand vividly,and is fullof interestingepisodes,illuminating quotations,
and thumb-nailsketchesofvariousSocialistpersonalities.The authordevelops
two major and up to a pointinterconnected themes:the protractedconflictbe-
tweenGermanand FrenchSocialism;and the discrepancy betweentheMarxist,
revolutionary,and internationalist precept and the reformistand virtually
nationalistpracticeof the constituentpartiesof the International,the discre-
pancywhichled to the International'scollapsein AugustI9I4. Some readers
of thisbook will be surprisedto learnto what extentthe politicalconceptions
and even the tactical ideas and slogansof the CommunistInternationalhave
been rootedin the traditionsof its Socialist predecessor.Thus the Stalinist
PopularFrontwas obviouslymuchcloserto Jaures'sreformist tacticsthanto the
'orthodoxMarxist'ideas expoundedby Kautskyand Guesde. For all its merits,
MrJoll'sbookis, however,fartoo sketchyand superficial, largelybecauseofthe
needlesslimitationstheauthorhas imposeduponhimself.He avoidssummariz-
ingand analysingthemajorissuesofpoliticaltheoryand theprogrammes ofthe

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JAN. I956] HISTORY 89
SocialistParties. Thesewere,however,fartoo importantto thosepartiesto be
glossedover in a historicalaccount. Mr Joll'scrucialchapter(chapterIv) on
Reformismand Revisionismis thereforemost unsatisfactory.The positive
achievements ofthe Internationalcertainlydeserve,despitethe International's
eventualfailure,moreattentiveand less supercilioustreatmentthan Mr Joll
givesit. Finally,the author'sattitudemay be criticizedas highlyinconsistent:
all his sympathyis on the side of thosereformistswho foughtagainst'Marxist
orthodoxy'whichis the real villainofhis story. Yet the authorhimselfcannot
avoid the conclusionthat it was preciselythose reformist elementsthat were
largelyresponsibleforthe collapse of the Second Internationaland ultimately
even forthe easy 'triumphof National Socialism'over the Reformist-inspired
sham democracyof the WeimarRepublic (p. i86).
ISAAC DEUTSCHER

V'AR EGEN TIDs HISTORIA. iII. ForstaKatastrofen

Stormakternaoch varlds-
politikenI900-I9I8. By Yngve Lorentsand others. Stockholm,Albert
BonniersF6rlag, I952. viii+640 pp. Illus. Maps. Index. I0-" X7".
Paper Kr. 68. Bound Kr. 8o.
PROFESSORLORENTS'S volumein theseries'V'aregentids historia'was to have
been publishedbeforethe outbreakofthe secondworldwar,and was originally
designedto deal withthe'firstcatastrophe',thefirstworldwar. However,as the
authorexplains,the adventof the secondworldwar made it less importantto
analysethe militaryprogressof the I9I4-I8 war, whilethe diplomaticevents
whichbroughtit about attainedfargreatersignificance.As a consequencethe
volumenow underreviewdwellsmainlyon the preludeto the firstworldwar
and devotesonlythe last hundredpages or so to the actual campaign.
In the introductionProfessorLorentsexpressesthe view that in I9I4 there
was no real cause forwar. Germanyneeded a fewmoreyearsto develop her
navy's strikingpower. Any signsof frictionwherevernoticeableweresternly
suppressedby commoneffort.The seriousconsequencesoftheSerbian-Austro-
Hungarianconflictweredue to thefactthatRussia,whohad alwaysclaimedto
be regardedas theprotector ofthesmallSouthSlav States,foundherselfobliged,
forreasonsofprestige,to take Serbia's partagainstAustria,and that Germany
could not leave her ally in the lurch. Her alliancewithAustria-Hungary had
beenregardedas essentialeversincethe good relationsestablishedwithRussia
in Bismarck'stimehad begunto crumble.Lorentsemphasizesthat therewere
at that timeno war-mongers amongthosewho led Germany;herleaderswere
menofintelligence, experience,and responsibility.But theywereweak and did
notwieldsufficient authority.
For his surveytheauthorgoesback to thenineteenth century.He describes
Russia's gradualexpansioneastwarduntilarrestedby thenew Powerarisingin
the East, Japan; he goes into a greatdeal of interestingdetail about Russian,
British,and Germanefforts to maintaintheirspheresofinfluence in China. At
the same timehe also stressesthe concernfeltby GreatBritain,as well as by
Japan,at Russia's growinginfluence in theFar East whichin the end led to the
Anglo-Japanese Alliance.A chapteron theRusso-Japanese warendsthissection
of the book.
ProfessorLorentsthen describesthe reasons which led Great Britain to
abandon her policy of splendidisolation and enter into the Franco-British
EntenteCordiale. Chapterson the Moroccancrisis,the Russo-BritishEntente,
and thegrowing rivalrybetweenRussiaand Austriain theBalkansfollowand on
thetenserelationsbetweenAustriaand Serbiawhichmightwellhave led to war
beforeI9I4 ifGermanyhad nothelpedto bringabout a peacefulsolution,a fact
whichwas gratefully acknowledgedby the EmperorFranz Josefin AprilI909.
Thereby,the authorclaims,Germanyrepaidherdebtto herally forthelatter's
assistanceto herin the Moroccancrisis.
The followingchaptersdeal withGermany'sgrowingobsessionthatshe was
G

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