From the publisher
France and her Eastern Allies, 1919-1925 was first published in 1962. Minnesota Archive Editions uses digital technology to make long-unavailable books once again accessible, and are published unaltered from the original University of Minnesota Press editions.
Relations between France, Czechoslovakia, and Poland occupied an important position in European diplomacy in the years between World War I and World War II. Beginning with the breakdown of the old political, social, and economic order on the Continent during the first World War, these relations went through many changes. This book deals with the crucial period from the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 to the signing of the Locarno Pact in 1925. During this time France attempted to establish an eastern barrier of buffer states with Poland and Czechoslovakia at the core, with the aim of keeping Germany and Bolshevik Russia apart. This, France hoped, would guarantee European peace and security. Although an effective eastern barrier was never realized, the attempt to create one was a worthy and important undertaking.
Professor Wandycz considers in detail the various aspects of the complex relationship between France and the two western Slav states - geographic, economic, social, and political. In addition, he provides a clear and interesting picture of some of the personalities involved. Through the use of hitherto unpublished source material, he throws new light on many events of general European diplomatic history as well as on Polish, French, and Czechoslovak foreign policy in particular.
Minnesota Archive Editions uses digital technology to make long-unavailable books once again accessible to scholars, students, researchers, and general readers. Rich with historical and cultural value, these works are published unaltered from the original University of Minnesota Press editions. The books offered through Minnesota Archive Editions are produced in limited quantities according to customer demand and are available through select distribution partners.
About the author
A native of Poland but now an American citizen, Piotr Wandycz is Professor Emeritus of History at Yale University. He served as an officer in the Polish army in Great Britain during World War II. He holds degrees from Cambridge University and the London School of Economics and Political Science, and certificates from the Universite de Grenoble, France, and the College d'Erope, Bruges, Belgium.
