In Pursuit of Peace: Zhou Gengsheng’s Internationalism in the Interwar Period

• In Event: Thinking beyond the Nation: The Transnational Networks of Chinese Intellectuals in the 1920s and 1930s

Abstract

This presentation investigates the “internationalism” of Zhou Gengsheng, an expert in international law in twentieth-century China. The Fourteen Points, as stated by the US President Woodrow Wilson, advocated the abolition of secret diplomacy, reduction of armaments, partial approval of the self-determination of nationalities, and the establishment of the League of Nations. These initially received unstinted praise in China. However, the praise and expectations of Chinese intellectuals deflated rapidly when China experienced difficulties in recovering Shandong from Germany due to the resolute opposition of Japan at the Paris Peace Conference. It is well known that the great disappointment derived from the Conference led to the May Fourth Movement soon after. Yet, expectations and support for international cooperation remained strong even after the Conference. Some intellectuals thought that China and the rest of the world should proceed to establish a new international order based on international cooperation. Zhou Gengsheng was one of these intellectuals. He was hopeful that the League of Nations would play a principal role in the process of establishing this order. Although he also paid attention to the defects of the League, such as priority repeatedly being given to the interests of the power, he firmly believed that “internationalism” was one of the inevitabilities of history and still asserted that the League was essential for achieving international cooperation even after the outbreak of the Mukden Incident.

Author

• Hiroki Morikawa, Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University