Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway and Sweden) is frequently seen as a democratic ‘island of peace’ in international politics and the three states are seen as ardent supporters of an ‘international community’ under the umbrella of the United Nations as well as its predecessor, the League of Nations. This article seeks to challenge this idealised, unitary conception of Scandinavian peace politics by exploring how different strands of internationalism, as transnational phenomena, developed from the outbreak of the First World War until the three states became members of the League. Initially, that development was more or less independent of official foreign policy. The article explains how and to what degree new internationalist ideas were eventually merged with traditional neutralist Scandinavian foreign policies.
This article uses quantitative data to point to some overall trends in the awarding of Nobel Peace Prizes during the twentieth century. Insofar as it is available, data is drawn from four categories of people, corresponding to four stages in choosing Nobel laureates: the nominators, the initial group of candidates, the nominees on the committee’s short list for thorough consideration, and the laureates themselves. Twentieth‐century trends include an increase in the number of nominees and in the consistency of awards made, a growth in the recognition of international institutions, a broadening of awards beyond their initial European and U.S. locus, and an increasing recognition of women peace advocates.
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