American Philanthropy, European Pacifism, and the Parameters of the International Peace Movement before the First World War

Abstract

The establishment of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) in 1910 was a transformative moment for the international peace movement, introducing significant financial resources and prioritizing an American-driven approach to global peace activism. Founded by Andrew Carnegie, the CEIP sought to eliminate war through rational, scientific, educational, and legalist efforts, promising a departure from the idealistic approaches considered typical of many European peace organizations. While Carnegie’s endowment provided much-needed support, it also exacerbated divisions (notably regarding how peace work should be done), and intensified personal animosities that already plagued the movement. Furthermore, European pacifists, particularly those associated with the International Peace Bureau (IPB), were wary of efforts to dominate and reshape the movement according to American priorities. The CEIP’s efforts to centralize control of the European movement antagonized existing organizations and anticipated the more interventionist aspects of American philanthropic endeavours in the interwar years and beyond. These divisions weakened the movement at a critical juncture. Despite its lofty ambitions, the CEIP’s European intervention in Europe highlighted the limitations of transnational peace activism.