The Unwanted: European Refugees From 1St World War (Politics History & Social Chan) - Softcover

Marrus, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1566399556 ISBN 13: 9781566399555

Publisher: Temple University Press, 2001

Synopsis

There have always been homeless people, but only in the 20th century have refugees become an important part of international politics, seriously affecting relations between states. Since the 1880s the number of displaced persons has climbed astronomically, with people scattered over vaster distances and for longer periods of time than ever before. Tracing the emergence of this new variety of collective alienation, this text covers everything from the late 19th century to the beginning of the 21st century, encompassing the Armenian refugees, the Jews, the Spanish Civil War emigres, the Cold War refugees in flight from Soviet states and more. It shows not only the astounding dimensions of the subject but also depicts the shocking apathy and antipathy of the international community toward the homeless. It also examines the impact of refugee movements on great power diplomacy and considers the evolution of agencies designed to assist refugees, noting outstanding successes and failures.

About this title

From the Publisher:

The classic, comprehensive history of European refugees in the twentieth century

From the Inside Flap:

"Marrus manages to offer an even-handed, superbly documented, and clearly written analysis of each episode [of European refugee flows], while simultaneously unraveling the web of another story: the evolution of international procedures and institutions that would act as occasional buffers, but more frequently as impartial but concerned middlemen, in refugee-generating crises."
—Demetrios G. Papademetriou, American Political Science Review

"It is usually the most extreme aspect of calamity that attracts our attention.... Somehow, human suffering on an aggregate level seems best understood when presented in the category of death. Michael Marrus's impressive study implicitly challenges this wide-ranging epistemology of human misery and destruction by making not the millions of killed but rather an even greater mass of refugees the subject of his meticulous study. The argument is simple, yet convincing. For Marrus, the phenomenon of refugees on a massive scale is inextricably linked to the development of modern politics and society.... [W]e should be grateful to Marrus for having provided us with a fine study of a topic that should command the constant attention of all decent human beings in the world."
—Andrei S. Markovits, The Journal of Modern History

"Heinrich Böll has called this 'the century of prisoners and refugees.' Michael Marrus's carefully crafted book helps to explain why this is so."
—Peter I. Rose, The Christian Science Monitor

About this edition

• Publisher: Temple University Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1566399556
• ISBN 13: 9781566399555
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 432