The Game of Major Powers - One Hundred Eighty Days to Change the World

Author: Margaret MacMillan (USA)
Translator: Rong Hui, Liu Yanru
Country: United States
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-08-01
Features: Paris in 1919 was the capital of the world. The much-anticipated Paris Peace Conference was being held here, where the negotiators were influential international figures. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, British Prime Minister Lloyd George, and French Premier Clemenceau became the "big three" of the conference. Here, world leaders made deals, drafted treaties, created new nations and organizations, even dined together and went to the theater to watch plays. Together, they staged a grand, tragicomedy for the modern world. Over the six months from January to June, Paris transformed into a world government, a court of appeal and a parliament, while also being a place of fear and hope. These were extraordinary 180 days, where major powers engaged in a game of chess, ending bankrupt empires while creating entirely new nations. The book brings to life the vivid portraits of the negotiators. Their personalities, ideals, and prejudices are vividly portrayed. They excluded Russia, isolated China, and rejected the claims of the Arabs. At the same time, they struggled tirelessly for issues such as the Jewish homeland. Yet, the negotiators ultimately failed—most importantly, they failed to prevent the outbreak of another war. The world leaders attempted to be impartial, but their goals—forcing defeated nations to pay reparations without being destroyed, fulfilling impossible nationalist dreams, preventing the spread of Bolshevism, and creating a new world order based on democracy and reason—could never be achieved solely through diplomacy. They sought to create peace, yet in a baffling twist, they instead created another, larger war.
The book is like a movie, recreating the dramatic personalities and complex, interwoven struggles of the world leaders, making it deeply engaging and entertaining. It paints a colorful scene for us, allowing us to see the blueprint of the modern world in its early stages. This book is a classic work for understanding the formation of the contemporary world and the development of the new world order.
1919 Paris was the capital of the world. The much-anticipated Paris Peace Conference was being held here, where the negotiators were influential international figures. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, British Prime Minister Lloyd George, and French Premier Clemenceau became the "big three" of the conference. Here, world leaders made deals, drafted treaties, created new nations and organizations, even dined together and went to the theater to watch plays. Together, they staged a grand, tragicomedy for the modern world. Over the six months from January to June, Paris transformed into a world government, a court of appeal and a parliament, while also being a place of fear and hope. These were extraordinary 180 days, where major powers engaged in a game of chess, ending bankrupt empires while creating entirely new nations. The book brings to life the vivid portraits of the negotiators. Their personalities, ideals, and prejudices are vividly portrayed. They excluded Russia, isolated China, and rejected the claims of the Arabs. At the same time, they struggled tirelessly for issues such as the Jewish homeland. Yet, the negotiators ultimately failed—most importantly, they failed to prevent the outbreak of another war. The world leaders attempted to be impartial, but their goals—forcing defeated nations to pay reparations without being destroyed, fulfilling impossible nationalist dreams, preventing the spread of Bolshevism, and creating a new world order based on democracy and reason—could never be achieved solely through diplomacy. They sought to create peace, yet in a baffling twist, they instead created another, larger war.
The book is like a movie, recreating the dramatic personalities and complex, interwoven struggles of the world leaders, making it deeply engaging and entertaining. It paints a colorful scene for us, allowing us to see the blueprint of the modern world in its early stages. This book is a classic work for understanding the formation of the contemporary world and the development of the new world order.