Includes bibliographical references and index.

pt. 1. Europe. The Treaty of Frankfurt and the origins of the Franco-German antagonism, 1870-1914 -- The Treaty of Versailles and the origins of the Second World War -- From the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk to the Potsdam Conference : the origins of the Cold War -- pt. 2. The Near East. The First World War and the Turkish peace settlement : from Mudros to Sèvres to Lausanne, 1918-23 -- An elusive peace settlement in Palestine : the peace talks following the 1948-9 Arab-Israeli war -- pt. 3. The Far East. The Yalta accords and the origins of the Chinese Revolutionary Civil War, 1946-9 -- The peace settlement in Korea and the origins of the Korean War, 1945-50 -- The Geneva Conference of 1954 and the second Indochina War -- Conclusion : war and peace, a symbiotic relationship?