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The cover of The Great Illusion

The Great Illusion

Norman Angell

Does a nation grow richer by conquering others, or is the belief that military power brings prosperity an illusion?

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At a glance

Author
Norman Angell

Why read it

  • You will be able to test the claim that a stronger army makes a country richer
  • You will understand why seizing a rival's wealth by force tends to fail, even for the winner
  • You will spot the weak reasoning that treats a state as if it were a single person

Who it is for

  • A reader trying to judge claims that arms races keep the peace
  • A business reader curious how trade and war interact
  • A student of international relations weighing the case against war

Contents

  1. THE GREAT ILLUSION
  2. NORMAN ANGELL
  3. Preface to the Fourth American Edition
  4. Preface
  5. Synopsis
  6. PART I - THE ECONOMICS OF THE CASE
  7. Chapter I - Statement of the Economic Case for War
  8. Chapter II - The Axioms of Modern Statecraft
  9. Chapter III - The Great Illusion
  10. Chapter IV - The Impossibility of Confiscation
  11. Chapter V - Foreign Trade and Military Power
  12. Chapter VI - The Indemnity Futility
  13. Chapter VII - How Colonies Are Owned
  14. Chapter VIII - The Fight for "the Place in the Sun"
  15. PART II - THE HUMAN NATURE AND MORALS OF THE CASE
  16. Chapter I - The Psychological Case for War
  17. Chapter II - The Psychological Case for Peace
  18. Chapter III - Unchanging Human Nature
  19. Chapter IV - Do the Warlike Nations Inherit the Earth?
  20. Chapter V - The Diminishing Factor of Physical Force: Psychological Results
  21. Chapter VI - The State as a Person: A False Analogy and its Consequences
  22. PART III - THE PRACTICAL OUTCOME
  23. Chapter I - The Relation of Defence to Aggression
  24. Chapter II - Armament, but Not Alone Armament
  25. Chapter III - Is the Political Reformation Possible?
  26. Chapter IV - Methods
  27. Appendix - On Recent Events in Europe
  28. "The Great Illusion" and Public Opinion

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