Premium
National Minorities as Peacebuilders? How Three Baltic Germans Responded to the First World War
Author(s) -
Housden Martyn
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
peace and change
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1468-0130
pISSN - 0149-0508
DOI - 10.1111/pech.12272
Subject(s) - ethnic group , political science , autonomy , league , german , state (computer science) , world war ii , first world war , gender studies , economic history , political economy , development economics , sociology , law , history , ancient history , economics , physics , archaeology , algorithm , astronomy , computer science
Many members of Europe's national minorities had particularly terrible experiences during the First World War. This article examines how three ethnic German minority activists from the Baltic region responded to those dreadful years by, subsequently, presenting themselves as peace campaigners promoting a novel model for multiethnic society. They promoted ideas such as the “a‐national state” and “cultural autonomy” at both national and international levels, not least in the hope of influencing the League of Nations. To what extent should they be accepted as early peacebuilders?