Armies of Peace

by Armstrong-Reid, Susan

• ISBN13: 9780802093219
• ISBN10: 0802093213
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-06-28
• Publisher: Univ of Toronto Pr

Summary

The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) was the first international organization to be established after the Second World War, and Canada played a key role in its formation. Formal studies of UNRRA, however, have tended to focus on inter-governmental political and economic relationships and their consequences for shaping the post-war international environment. Armies of Peace is the first comprehensive investigation of Canadians' influence on the establishment and operation of this unique organization.This volume challenges the hierarchical and policy-oriented approach to the study of international organizations and offers a more nuanced understanding of Canada's international involvement. By recounting the stories of hundreds of Canadians who served at every level of the organization and in every country where UNRRA established missions, Susan Armstrong-Reid and David Murray highlight the wider contributions that the nation made. Giving voice to these Canadians' stories also provides a more complete understanding of Canada's role in post-war healing and foreshadows the challenges that Canadians faced in implementing international aid and development initiatives within developing countries during the Cold War.Featuring previously untapped primary sources such as private papers, diaries, and letters, and utilizing a cross-disciplinary approach, Armies of Peace is an invaluable addition to the study of international organizations, Canadian social history, and the history of nursing.

Author Biography

Susan Armstrong-Reid is an independent scholar based in Guelph. David Murray is a University Professor Emeritus in the Department of History at the University of Guelph.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Maps	p. xi
Introduction	p. 3
The Diplomacy of Relief, Rehabilitation, and Repatriation
Creating UNRRA	p. 17
Canada at the Council Sessions	p. 41
The Politics of Procurement	p. 76
A World Uprooted: Canadians, UNRRA, and the Challenge of the Displaced
Personalities and Bureaucracies	p. 101
UNRRA Takes Command: The First Field Operations	p. 125
Soldiers of Peace or Agents of Repatriation: The Displaced-Persons Operations in Germany	p. 161
Torch of Sadness: The Mothers and Children of War	p. 196
Carrying Florence's Lamp: Canadian Nurses and UNRRA
Launching UNRRA's Nursing Brigade: From the Middle East to Greece	p. 225
Nursing with the Enemy: Germany	p. 249
The Bridge of Sorrows: The Canadian China Contingent	p. 287
Life after UNRRA
Ties That Bind	p. 323
Legacies	p. 343
Conclusion	p. 361
Appendices	p. 375
Notes	p. 397
Bibliography	p. 443
Index	p. 457
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