Making the World Safe

Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era
Irwin shows that the Red Cross did more than change itself. In effect it used the war and the aftermath in which American power and prestige grew to reshape European society and the global Red Cross movement as a proactive charity.... Exhaustive and fresh in its research, and mature in its judgments, the book is notable in part because it fills a major gap in our knowledge.... Irwin provides an important contribution to the reinterpretation of the Progressive Era's international engagement and to the study of twentieth-century international organizations.

Journal of American History Julia F. Irwin's Making the World Safe, only the second book-length treatment of the American Red Cross (arc), provides a welcome update to the historical record. Irwin makes a convincing case that the story of the arc is inextricable from the story of international relations in the United States: we cannot hope to understand either American interventionism or isolationism by focusing on the political realm alone.

Diplomatic History Irwin has provided a textured and needed perspective on a critical and overlooked piece of the U.S. humanitarian establishment by explaining the years that were a formative forge for the American Red Cross.... Rather than a simple institutional history of a crucial actor Irwin has provided us a textured view of a critical agent in the evolution of humanitarianism in the United States that illuminates a diverse set of historical themes.

The Weekly Standard Julia F. Irwin shows that the Red Cross's rapid growth during World War I is a significant event that raises deep questions about the role charities should play in our country's diplomatic efforts... Irwin reminds us that the role Americans play overseas is complex and deeply rooted in our nation's history.

Register of the Kentucky Historical Society Irwin, in a crisply written and stimulating book, has made a persuasive case that to understand fully the development of international humanitarianism later in the 20th century we must look to the American Red Cross overseas relief work during World War I. Students of American Foreign Relations and humanitarianism alike will be rewarded by reading this book.

Emily S. Rosenberg, editor of A World Connecting, 1870-1945
Focusing on the American Red Cross, Julia Irwin traces a tradition of international humanitarianism in the United States from the late nineteenth century through World War II. Her work provides a significant building-block in understanding how the ARC assisted the state in waging war and also built capacity for efforts of international civilian relief.

David C. Engerman, Brandeis University
In Making the World Safe, Julia Irwin offers an impressive history of a new form of American humanitarianism by tracing the rise of the American Red Cross. She convincingly shows how, in close concert with government officials at home and abroad, the ...

<strong>Julia F. Irwin </strong>is Associate Professor of History at the University of South Florida.

Introduction: A New Manifest Destiny 1. Making International Humanitarianism American 2. Humanitarian Preparedness 3. Mobilizing a Volunteer Army 4. Relieving Europe 5. Rebuilding Europe 6. A World Made Safe? Epilogue A New Manifest Destiny Revisited Notes Bibliography Index