Book contents
- Sarah Wambaugh and the Plebiscite
- Global and International History
- Sarah Wambaugh and the Plebiscite
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures and Maps
- Preface
- Maps
- Introduction
- 1 A Career in Plebiscites Begins
- 2 The Plebiscites of the Post-War Settlement, 1920–1923
- 3 Locating Sarah Wambaugh’s Political Thought
- 4 Tacna-Arica and the Perfection of the Plebiscite, 1925–1933
- 5 ‘The Highest Point Yet Attained’
- 6 Low Point
- 7 An Era Ends
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
2 - The Plebiscites of the Post-War Settlement, 1920–1923
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 December 2025
Book contents
- Sarah Wambaugh and the Plebiscite
- Global and International History
- Sarah Wambaugh and the Plebiscite
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures and Maps
- Preface
- Maps
- Introduction
- 1 A Career in Plebiscites Begins
- 2 The Plebiscites of the Post-War Settlement, 1920–1923
- 3 Locating Sarah Wambaugh’s Political Thought
- 4 Tacna-Arica and the Perfection of the Plebiscite, 1925–1933
- 5 ‘The Highest Point Yet Attained’
- 6 Low Point
- 7 An Era Ends
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The individual experiences of the post-war European plebiscites varied; however, in all cases the commissions organising them faced challenges in ensuring fair votes with limited resources and entrenched local administrations, something exacerbated by the American rejection of the peace settlement and consequent termination of involvement in its plebiscites. The traumatic plebiscite in Upper Silesia left the deepest impression, and during the Lausanne Conference of 1922–1923, the plebiscite was rejected by the British statesmen leading the negotiations with the new Turkish republic, with compulsory population transfer advocated instead. For her part, Sarah Wambaugh observed what she saw as a better way to conduct international relations when she briefly worked in the secretariat of the League of Nations. Following this Wambaugh would visit all of the plebiscite zones soon after they were held and conclude that future plebiscites needed to be conducted along more rigorous scientific lines.
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- Sarah Wambaugh and the PlebisciteThe Turbulent History of a Democratic Alternative to War, pp. 59 - 90Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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