Description

Following his bestselling biography of the Pound Sterling, David Sinclair's next book is a fascinating insight into the single event which shaped the face of the modern world. If the Great War of 1914-1918 was a tragedy, then the Treaty of Versailles was a complete travesty. Rather than sealing a guarantee for peace, stability and prosperity for a new and better world, the treaty ensured that the remainder of the twentieth century would see horror, brutality and suffering unparalleled in human history. The treaty was engineered and manipulated by self-interested politicians with individual motivations and contrasting agendas. Hall of Mirrors reflects on how the representatives of America, Britain and France - Woodrow Wilson, David Lloyd George and Georges Clemenceau - deliberately ignored the possibility of finding a progressive international solution. Instead, driven by ego and personal vendetta, these statesmen stimulated a European future of faction, dispute and conflict. Hall of Mirrors is a fascinating story of destruction, delusion and greed, illuminating the personalities and politics involved in making the treaty. It is also a valuable and topical discussion on the political structures which enable individual character and will to dictate the course of history and culture.