Intellectual Cooperation and the League of Nations
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University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--History History 2016 Utopian Dreams, National Realities: Intellectual Cooperation and the League of Nations Juli Gatling Book University of Kentucky, [email protected] Digital Object Identifier: http://dx.doi.org/10.13023/ETD.2016.120 Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Gatling Book, Juli, "Utopian Dreams, National Realities: Intellectual Cooperation and the League of Nations" (2016). Theses and Dissertations--History. 36. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/history_etds/36 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the History at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--History by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. 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Juli Gatling Book, Student Dr. Karen Petrone, Major Professor Dr. Scott Taylor, Director of Graduate Studies UTOPIAN DREAMS, NATIONAL REALITIES: INTELLECTUAL COOPERATION AND THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS ____________________________________________ DISSERTATION ____________________________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By Juli Gatling Book Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Karen Petrone, Professor of History Lexington, Kentucky 2016 Copyright @ Juli Gatling Book 2016 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION UTOPIAN DREAMS, NATIONAL REALITIES: INTELLECTUAL COOPERATION AND THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS Utopian Dreams, National Realities: Intellectual Cooperation and the League of Nations chronicles the work of the League of Nations’ International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation (CICI). This dissertation demonstrates how the CICI’s utopian vision of international peace was actively challenged by national tensions and agendas in the interwar period. It examines the idealistic goals of the movement by focusing on the narratives and motivations of key committee members as they worked toward their own ideas of peace. The challenge of nationalism is illustrated through an analysis of major disagreements between CICI members as well as through biographical case studies of lesser-known members. The pursuit of “moral disarmament,” or the process of changing mentalities towards war, was a central component of the CICI’s work. Both education and film were envisioned as ways to influence the public and engender anti-war sentiment. This work argues that the League of Nations’ conception of internationalism was Eurocentric and moral disarmament was formulated within an Anglo-American context. Both of these limitations narrowed the influence of the CICI’s peace work to certain geographical areas of influence and effectively marginalized less powerful nations and individuals within it. KEYWORDS: interwar period, peace, education, disarmament, gender _____Juli Gatling Book_______ ___________4/25/16_________ UTOPIAN DREAMS, NATIONAL REALITIES: INTELLECTUAL COOPERATION AND THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS By Juli Gatling Book ______Dr. Karen Petrone____ Director of Thesis _____Dr. Scott Taylor_______ Director of Graduate Studies __________4/25/16_________ Date ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS No work is completed without a number of individuals challenging you to think beyond what you have on the page. This dissertation is no exception. First, I want to thank my original director, Dr. Ellen Furlough, for sending me to wade through the stacks in Young Library where dusty documents beckoned. Only a few years later, I was an archive rat in New York City, Paris, and Oxford thanks to that first class on Transnational Theory and the University of Kentucky’s League of Nations collection. Dr. Karen Petrone provided excellent guidance on this project and also kept me on pace through a complex, international topic. I have also benefitted greatly from the feedback of Dr. Kathi Kern, Dr. Francie Chassen-Lopez, Dr. Karen Tice and Dr. James Albisetti. Ashley Sorrell provided an important sounding board and really helped me stay motivated. Thank you to Lyn Gatling and UK’s Writing Center for editing assistance on tough parts. Special thanks to my husband for excellent advice and putting up with me. My apologies for yet another publication where I couldn’t fit in onion recipes. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iii Chapter One: Introduction Background ..............................................................................................................1 The International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation ......................................4 Challenges to Peace .................................................................................................9 Intellectual Cooperation: A Transnational Minor Utopia ......................................13 Historiography .......................................................................................................17 Chapter Two: Moral Disarmament and the Limits of Internationalism Introduction ............................................................................................................26 Limited Internationalism ........................................................................................31 Moral Disarmament ...............................................................................................45 Conclusion .............................................................................................................72 Chapter Three: “In the Hearts of the Teachers Lies the Destiny of the World” Introduction ............................................................................................................74 International Education ..........................................................................................79 Propaganda and the Challenge of Nationalism ......................................................91 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................110 Chapter Four: Anti-War Film and Fascism Introduction ..........................................................................................................112 Historiography .....................................................................................................115 The International Educational Cinematographic Institute ...................................120 Film and Anti-war Education...............................................................................125 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................140 Chapter Five: Women and Film Censorship Introduction ..........................................................................................................143 The Role of the Mother ........................................................................................150 Laura Dreyfus-Barney and the International Council of Women ........................159 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................170 Chapter Six: Celebrities and Hidden Histories Introduction ..........................................................................................................173 The Women of Intellectual Cooperation..............................................................176 CICI Celebrities: Marie Curie and Albert Einstein..............................................180 CICI Silent Worker: Margarete Rothbarth ..........................................................193 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................208 iv Chapter Seven: Conclusion Summary ..............................................................................................................211 Withering Away: