The writer of this book was temporarily attached to the British Treasuryduring the war and was their official representative at the Paris PeaceConference up to June 7, 1919; he also sat as deputy for the Chancellorof the Exchequer on the Supreme Economic Council. He resigned from thesepositions when it became evident that hope could no longer beentertained of substantial modification in the draft Terms of Peace. Thegrounds of his objection to the Treaty, or rather to the whole policy ofthe Conference towards the economic problems of Europe, will appear inthe following chapters. They are entirely of a public character, and arebased on facts known to the whole world.
J.M. Keynes.
King's College, Cambridge,
November, 1919.
| Chapter I. | Introductory |
| Chapter II. | Europe before the War |
| Chapter III. | The Conference |
| Chapter IV. | The Treaty |
| Chapter V. | Reparation |
| Chapter VI. | Europe after the Treaty |
| Chapter VII. | Remedies |
The power to become habituated to his surroundings is a markedcharacteristic of mankind. Very few of us realize with conviction theintensely unusual, unstable, complicated, unreliable, temporary natureof the economic organization by which Western Europe has lived for thelast half century. We assume some of the most peculiar and temporary ofour late advantages as natural, permanent, and to be depended on, and welay our plans accordingly. On this sandy and false foundation we schemefor social i