SELECT AMERICAN FOUNDATIONS AND THE „CONSTRUCTION OF PEACE AND PROGRESS” IN EUROPE DURING THE INTERWAR PERIOD

• Authors: Nowaczewska R
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

American interwar foundations and charity organisations concentrated on helping war victims and the construction of institutions serving the maintenance of peace. In the first domain, a special role was played by the American Red Cross and the American Relief Administration, while in the second noteworthy activity was pursued by, i.a. the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Rockefeller Foundation or the Church Peace Union. The degree of the dependence of European states upon such aid differed, and remained relatively the greatest in the newly established states, such as Poland, Czechoslovakia or Finland. The reactions in the US towards help for assorted European states were just as variegated. A frequently expressed stand was fear whether the recipients would become dependent on American aid to a degree that would make it impossible for them to undertake local initiatives intent on improving living conditions. Within the range of peace-oriented ventures, efforts were made to try to support even those institutions (such as the League of Nations) in whose work the US Congress had refused to participate. American foundations financed both the construction of concrete institutions (such as The Hague Academy of International Law) and created a scholarship system for persons willing to become engaged in activity aimed at international, scientific or artistic co-operation. Owing to difficulties with verifying data, it is not easy to resolve disputes concerning the assessment of the long-range effects of American aid. One thing is certain - the evaluations conducted in the USA, claiming that this form of assistance contributed to changing the way in which the Europeans perceived social responsibility, are certainly exaggerated.

Keywords

EN

'CONSTRUCTION OF PEACE AND PROGRESS' IN EUROPE; AMERICAN FOUNDATIONS

Discipline

• HISTORY: HISTORY

• Publisher: Polska Akademia Nauk. Instytut Historii im. Tadeusza Manteuffla PAN w Warszawie
• Journal: Dzieje Najnowsze
• Year: 2007
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 35-49
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Nowaczewska R

• R. Nowaczewska, Uniwersytet Szczecinski, Instytut Historii i Stosunków Miedzynarodowych, ul. Piastów 40b, 71-065 Szczecin, Poland.

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

08PLAAAA05249943