Bibliography: pages 368-390.

Introduction
Part I: A History of Internationalist Theories
To the end of the seventeenth century
Penn, Bellers and Saint-Pierre
Rousseau
Kant
Bentham and James Mill
The first half of the nineteenth century
From the Crimean War to the League of Nations
Part II: A History of the Modern States’ System
The beginnings of the system
The first fifty years
The Concert of Europe
International Relations in the second half of the nineteenth century
Part III: International Relations and International Organizations in the twentieth century
International Relations in the first half of the twentieth century
The First World War
The failure of the League of Nations
The causes of the Second World War
The nature and development of the United Nations
International Relations since the Second World War

References
Index

This book is a major historical study of international relations and peace theory. Hinsley examines how states have tried—across centuries—to prevent war and create stable international order.

He argues that efforts to achieve peace are closely linked to the balance of power between states, and that peace has usually depended not on idealistic plans, but on how power is distributed and managed in the international system.