Economic Consequences of the Peace

John Maynard Keynes attended the 1919 Paris Peace Conference as a member of the British delegation. Concerned by the victorious powers' disregard for "the delicate, complicated organization . . . through which alone the European peoples can employ themselves and live," he resigned his position and, in the ensuing months, authored The Economic Consequences of the Peace. At once economic analysis, character study, and humanist appeal in the face of myopic nationalism, it made Keynes's reputation as a leading economist and remains a testament to his clear-sightedness and rhetorical skill.