Norman Angell

Sir Ralph Norman Angell Lane (December 26, 1872 - October 7, 1967) was a British lecturer, writer, and Member of Parliament for the Labour Party.

Related Topics:
December 26 - 1872 - October 7 - 1967 - British - Member of Parliament - Labour Party

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Angell served on the Council of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, was an executive for the World Committee against War and Fascism, a member of the executive committee of the League of Nations Union, and the president of the Abyssinia Association. He was knighted in 1931 and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1933.

Related Topics:
Royal Institute of International Affairs - World Committee against War and Fascism - League of Nations Union - Abyssinia Association - 1931 - Nobel Peace Prize - 1933

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Angell was one of six children, born to Thomas Angell Lane and Mary (Brittain) Lane. He attended the Lycée de St. Omer and the University of Geneva. At the age of 17, he moved to the United States and spent seven years working in California, where he eventually became a journalist. He returned to England briefly in 1898, then moved to Paris. From 1905 to 1912, he was the Paris editor for the Daily Mail.

Related Topics:
Lycée de St. Omer - University of Geneva - United States - California - 1898 - Paris - 1905 - 1912 - Daily Mail

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Back in England again, he joined the Labour Party in 1920 and was an MP from 1929 to 1931.

Related Topics:
1920 - 1929 - 1931

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He is most widely remembered for his work of 1909, Europe's Optical Illusion, known as The Great Illusion in America. The pacifist movie The Grand Illusion was deliberately given its title in reference to his book. The thesis of that work is commonly (and incorrectly) described as saying that the integration of the economies of European countries had grown to such a degree that war between them was unimaginable, making militarism obsolete. However this is not what Angell actually argued. His central point was to demonstrate the fact that war between modern powers was futile in the sense that no matter what the outcome, both the losing and the victorious nations would be economically worse off than they would have been had they avoided war. According to the common misperception, Angell is primarily known as having been cruelly mistaken; however, the two incredibly destructive World Wars that took place after The Great Illusion was published were in fact a tragic confirmation of his thesis.

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