This study presents the Paris Peace Treaties of 1919-20 in a new light. Going beyond conventional narratives about the "dictated" peace of Versailles and the failures of the peacemakers, the book offers a fresh and comprehensive look at the five peace treaties with Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire. Marcus Payk exhibits the influence of late 19th century normative expectations and demonstrates how the entire peace settlement was deeply imbued by notions of international law, justice, and legality. The study examines the political power as well as intrinsic logic of legal arguments in foreign affairs, arguing for a more nuanced picture of a juridification of international politics.
Marcus M. Payk, Humboldt Universität Berlin
"Es gehört zu den größten Verdiensten des brillanten Buches von Marcus Payk, wie es die Friedensschlüsse in die globale Geschichte ab dem späten neunzehnten Jahrhundert einbettet. Die preisgekrönte Berliner Habilitationsschrift widmet sich mit Genauigkeit, interessanten archivalischen Funden und pointierten Formulierungen den Ereignissen rund um die Abkommen mit den Kriegsverlierern."
Milos Vec in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 17.10.2018, 10
"In sum, Payk's excellent monograph treats its immediate subject, the Paris Peace negotiations of 1919-20, with the greatest meticulousness and accuracy. The work takes into account current theoretical and methodological discussions and highlights the role of law and the legal profession - thus ultimately filling an important research lacuna in this field."
Stefan Kroll in: Rechtsgeschichte/Legal History 27 (2019), 446-448
