We the Peoples: Democratizing International Relations in Britain and Beyond, 1870-1950

This conference will explore the varied locations and formulations through which the broad notion of ‘democratization’ found expression in international politics between c.1870 and 1950. Its primary focus will be Britain, where thought and action on this theme were particularly rich and multifaceted, with complex implications for politics and diplomacy and for wider social, cultural and intellectual life. However, the conference will seek to set current research on Britain in a broader comparative and global context, drawing on imperial, European and North American perspectives as well as new work on ‘transnational’ movements and processes. The conference will thus bring together a diverse group of scholars, engaging historians of Britain, Europe and America and scholars from the fields of International History and International Relations in a shared conversation around a broad yet coherent theme.