While the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 failed, in that it couldn't prevent WWII, Leonard V. Smith's ground-breaking work shows how it was instrumental in creating a new kind of international cooperation where national sovereignty was used to remake a new world order. A formidable tour-de-force ... Smith combines clear-cut analytical concepts with an impressive overview to produce a compelling historical synthesis of the decision-making of the 'world sovereign' ... it should be essential reading for anyone interested in the ramifications of the First World War, the interwar years, and the League of Nations...