author
Norman Angell
1874–1967
Best known for arguing that modern war was economically self-defeating, this British writer and peace campaigner turned a bold idea into one of the early 20th century’s most talked-about books. His work helped shape international debates on peace, cooperation, and the costs of conflict.
3 Audiobooks
Peace Theories and the Balkan War
by Norman Angell
The Fruits of Victory A Sequel to The Great Illusion
by Norman Angell
About the author
Born Ralph Norman Angell Lane, he became known as Norman Angell and built a career as a journalist, lecturer, and political writer. His most famous book, The Great Illusion (1910), argued that in an interconnected modern world, military conquest no longer brought real economic gain — a claim that made him widely read and widely debated.
He spent time in continental Europe and the United States before emerging as a public voice on international affairs in Britain. Alongside his writing, he was active in public life, served as a Labour Member of Parliament, and worked for international understanding through lectures, journalism, and peace advocacy.
Angell received the Nobel Peace Prize for 1933 in recognition of his writing and his efforts on behalf of peace. Even where history seemed to challenge his optimism, his central question — whether nations truly profit from war — kept his work relevant long after its first publication.