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Carnegie Endowment for International Peace pamphlet and microfilm collection

 Collection
Identifier: MS2110

Collection Scope and Content

This collection consists of over 7,200 items of bound pamphlets, unbound pamphlets, and microfilm. They range in date from 1817 to 1950. The collection covers more than following topics: the World Peace Foundation, World War I, World War II, the League of Nations, the League of Nations Union, the Treaty of Versailles, miscellaneous war, the New York Federation of Churches, International relations, national, regional, political science, social systems, economics, finance, foreign trade, labor, miscellaneous, and foreign language.

Gelman Library purchased this collection in 1950.

Please note there is no series one in this collection.

Dates

  • Creation: 1817-1950

Restrictions on Access

Some records may be restricted.

Restrictions on Use

Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.

Historical or Biographical Note

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace was founded in 1910 by Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), who transferred to 28 selected trustees the sum of $10 million in bonds, the revenue of which was to be used to "hasten the abolition of international war." Two of the trustees, Elihu Root and Nicholas Murray Butler were very important figures in the formation of the Endowment. Elihu Root (1845-1937) served his country as Secretary of War, Secretary of State, and United States Senator. He is best remembered for his efforts to ensure international peace. He received the Nobel Peace prize in 1912 and was President of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Endowment from 1910 to 1925. Nicholas Murray Butler (1862-1947) served as President of Columbia University from 1902 to 1945 and shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Jane Addams in 1931. He succeeded Root as President of the Endowment, a post he held until 1945. The efforts of these men established the direction of the Endowment which for eighty-five years has encouraged peace through educational enterprises that promote international understanding and the codification of international law.

The Carnegie Endowment was headquartered in Washington, D.C., until it moved to New York City in 1950. Prior to its move, the Endowment sought an institution to purchase its library to ensure that its materials would continue to be available to researchers. The library collection was sold to The George Washington University in the year of the Endowment's move. This constituted a major acquisition for the University considering that in the fiscal year 1949/50 the University provided a total of $15,000 for the purchase of library books. The 60,000 volume collection of books, pamphlets, and documents was at that time one of the finest assembled for the study of international relations and world peace, according to an official from the Library of Congress who appraised the collection.

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, which since 1983 has again been headquartered in Washington, D.C., continues the work begun by its founders. Elihu Root and Nicholas Murray Butler were activists in a segment of a larger peace movement both in the U.S. and abroad that had its roots in the later years of the nineteenth century. The men and women who founded societies devoted to world peace were generally the elite of society: educators, business leaders, clergymen, journalists, etc. Periods of domestic and political turmoil and uncertainty, both at home and abroad, spurred these people to work for the cause of peace, since the promise of lasting peace meant economic and social stability. Peace societies served as forums for a national elite who held themselves responsible for molding public opinion on a wide range of issues, among them the promotion of a foreign policy that would establish a peaceful means of arbitrating international disputes. This collection of pamphlets reflect these aims and is thus a very useful research source for scholars.

Extent

65 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace was founded in 1910 by Andrew Carnegie. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, which since 1983 has again been headquartered in Washington, D.C., continues the work begun by its founders. Elihu Root and Nicholas Murray Butler were activists in a segment of a larger peace movement both in the U.S. and abroad that had its roots in the later years of the nineteenth century. This collection consists of over 7,200 items of bound pamphlets, unbound pamphlets, and microfilm. They range in date from 1817 to 1950. The topics cover world wars, international treaties and other important world events.

Collection Organization

Organized into four series (numbered 2-5): Library records, Unbound pamphlets, Microfilm, Bound manuscripts, and James B. Scott materials. Please note, there is no series one in this collection.

Acquisition Information

Gelman Library purchased this collection in 1950

Title
Guide to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace pamphlet and microfilm collection, 1817-1950
Status
Completed
Author
Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University
Date
2006
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University Repository

Contact:
George Washington University Gelman Library
2130 H Street NW
Washington DC 20052 United States of America