Pax Terra

The Library

Books for thinking at planetary scale.

Fiction and nonfiction concerning world federalism, human unity, identity, civilization, and the future. Begin with a short curated shelf, then explore the full archive of 258 works.

Start here

A short shelf to begin with.

Accessible entry points — fiction, primers, and modern classics — before the full archive.

BookEssentials2018

A World Parliament: Governance and Democracy in the 21st Century

Andreas Bummel and Jo Leinen

The clearest modern case for a democratically elected global parliament; the best single starting point on the institutions themselves.

More than at any time in history, all the people in the world are linked together in a shared civilization, encompassing the entire planet. Their multiple interconnections generate mutual dependencies and affinities. Humanity now has a common destiny. Global challenges such as war, poverty, inequality, climate change and environmental destruction are overwhelming nation-states and today's international institutions. Doing the right thing requires more than having the right policies; it requires having the right political structures to implement them.

Democracy Without BordersAmazon
BookEssentials1991

Planethood: The Key to Your Future

Benjamin B. Ferencz

A plainspoken popular argument for enforceable world law from a Nuremberg prosecutor.

This non-copyrighted work was written to advance the argument for a system of international law complete with courts, enforcement, and an international congress. A central theme of the book is the threat to civilization posed by nuclear weapons. The authors start by highlighting some of the serious global problems facing humanity. They then proceed to show that a system of effective international law has been a developing trend historically, beginning with Franciscus de Victoria in 1526 through the establishment of a federalist government in the wake of the American Revolution and continuing to the present day.

AmazonArchive.orgPDF link on Ben Ferencz’ Twitter
BookWorld Federalism1795

Perpetual Peace

Immanuel Kant

Short, canonical, and still the root of the argument: lasting peace depends on law and a federation of free states.

Perpetual Peace is an important essay by Immanuel Kant from 1795 which was originally published as Project for a Perpetual Peace. The original concept of perpetual peace is for peace to be a permanent fixture over a certain specific area or location. In modern times, the concept of world peace directly stems from this original idea of a perpetual peace. In this writing of Kant, he argues in favor of civil constitutions with Republican forms of government, world citizenship, free states, the abolishment of standing armies and for states not being able to use force to interfere with the constitutions or governments of another given state. This is an important work for those studying the idea of world peace and those interested in the writings of Immanuel Kant.

WikipediaProject GutenbergLibriVox
BookWorld Federalism2008

The Great Experiment: The Story of Ancient Empires, Modern States, and the Quest for a Global Nation

Strobe Talbott

A readable recent account of whether diverse societies can govern themselves together — accessible and current.

This dramatic narrative of breathtaking scope and riveting focus puts the "story" back into history. It is the saga of how the most ambitious of big ideas -- that a world made up of many nations can govern itself peacefully -- has played out over the millennia. Humankind's "Great Experiment" goes back to the most ancient of days -- literally to the Garden of Eden -- and into the present, with an eye to the future.

AmazonGoogle Books
BookWorld Federalism1962

World Peace Through World Law

Grenville Clark and Louis B. Sohn

The most detailed mid-century blueprint for putting security under law; heavier going but foundational.

This book "examined proposals to transform the United Nations into a world government. It proposed a Revised United Nations Charter which would (1) allocate votes in the UN General Assembly based on member nations' populations, (2) replace the UN Security Council with an Executive Council with China, India, USSR, and the US as permanent members, and no veto power, (3) make a World Police Force the only military force permitted in the world."

Archive.orgWikipedia
BookEuropean Federalism1941

Ventotene Manifesto

Altiero Spinelli and Ernesto Rossi

Written in prison under fascism: a compact, electric case for federation over the nation-state.

The Ventotene Manifesto, is a political statement written by Altiero Spinelli while he was imprisoned on the Italian island of Ventotene during World War II. Completed in June 1941, the Manifesto was circulated within the Italian Resistance, and it soon became the programme of the Movimento Federalista Europeo. The Manifesto called for a socialist federation of Europe and the world. In the text, European Federalism and World Federalism are presented as a way to prevent future wars. Vayssière notes that the manifesto is widely seen as the birth of European federalism. Spinelli (1907–86), a former Communist, became a leader of the federalist movement due to his primary authorship of the Manifesto and his postwar advocacy. The manifesto called for a break with Europe's past to form a new political system through a restructuring of politics and extensive social reform. It was presented not as an ideal, but as the best option for Europe's postwar condition.

WikipediaTeletype [RU]

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The full Young World Federalists reading list, with its original language noted where a work was not published in English. Covers where available via Open Library.

Showing 1–20 of 258 works
  • BookIntermediate

    YWF Handbook

    the Young World Federalists · 2022 · Essentials

    The Young World Federalists believe that the current system of competitive sovereign countries fails to tackle the global challenges that impact us all. We advocate a new form of global governance, one in which people cooperate to secure their common interest through a democratic world federation.

    PDF
  • ArticleIntroductory

    Montreux Declaration

    the World Federalist Movement · 1947 · Essentials

    During a meeting in Montreux on 23 August 1947, the World Movement for World Federal Government issues a Declaration on the role of world federalism as a political ideal.

    PDFMultiple languages
  • BookIntermediate

    A World Parliament: Governance and Democracy in the 21st Century

    Andreas Bummel and Jo Leinen · 2018 · Essentials

    More than at any time in history, all the people in the world are linked together in a shared civilization, encompassing the entire planet. Their multiple interconnections generate mutual dependencies and affinities. Humanity now has a common destiny. Global challenges such as war, poverty, inequality, climate change and environmental destruction are overwhelming nation-states and today's international institutions. Doing the right thing requires more than having the right policies; it requires having the right political structures to implement them.

    Democracy Without BordersAmazon
  • BookIntermediate

    World Federation? A critical analysis of world government

    Ronald J. Glossop · 1993 · Essentials

    The pros and cons of a democratic federal world government are carefully reasoned here, as are the basic concepts of such a federation, and the relationship of law and government. The author's analysis brings one to the conclusion that a global federation is inevitable, despite the many obstacles.

    AmazonGoogle Books
  • PaperAdvanced

    Pacifism Is Not Enough, Nor Patriotism Either

    Lord Lothian · 1935 · Essentials

    There has never been a time when there has been so widespread and determined an attack on the institution of war. There have been periods of relative peace in human history, when great empires made war impossible or unprofitable over vast stretches of the earth’s surface. There have been centuries, like the last, when war was relatively rare, as compared with its frequency during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. But never before, I think, has public opinion over a large part of the earth come to recognise both that war is incompatible with a civilized life and that it is an institution which ought to be and can be abolished.

    PDF
  • BookIntroductory

    Planethood: The Key to Your Future

    Benjamin B. Ferencz · 1991 · Essentials

    This non-copyrighted work was written to advance the argument for a system of international law complete with courts, enforcement, and an international congress. A central theme of the book is the threat to civilization posed by nuclear weapons. The authors start by highlighting some of the serious global problems facing humanity. They then proceed to show that a system of effective international law has been a developing trend historically, beginning with Franciscus de Victoria in 1526 through the establishment of a federalist government in the wake of the American Revolution and continuing to the present day.

    AmazonArchive.orgPDF link on Ben Ferencz’ Twitter
  • BookIntermediate

    The Politics of World Federation

    Joseph Baratta · 2004 · Essentials

    Volume I traces the influence of a generation of internationalists on policy, particularly on Winston Churchill's proposal of Anglo-French union of June 16, 1940, deliberations in the U.S. State Department on the shape of a postwar international security organization until October 1943, the Baruch plan for the international control of atomic energy in l946, and early efforts at UN reform. Volume 2 recounts the history and practical politics of creating a world in which the rule of law maintains the peace in the same way as in well-organized free national states. The coming of the Cold War by 1947 is the principal explanation for the immediate failure of the world federalists. The historic opportunity for so fundamental an innovation in international relations as the establishment of even a limited world federation had passed, but for the next few years there was a vigorous and deep political thinking about the continued prospect of war. Work toward this goal continued, and eventually the United World Federalists built up enough of a popular movement to pass resolutions favoring U.S. participation in 22 states.

    AmazonGoogle Books
  • BookIntermediate

    Union Now

    Clarence Streit · 1939 · World Federalism

    Union Now is a book by journalist Clarence Streit calling for a federal union of fifteen of the world's major democracies. Streit proposed a "nucleus" of fifteen nations that he regarded as relatively mature democracies: The United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. This union was to be organized roughly along the lines of the federal system of the United States: while some power would be ceded to the newly established central authority, each nation would retain some measure of sovereignty. Nations that the federation deemed worthy of membership would be added subsequently on the basis of their commitment to democracy, with the hope that the union would eventually come to encompass the entire globe.

    Internet Archive
  • BookIntermediate

    The Anatomy of Peace

    Emery Reves · 1945 · World Federalism

    It expressed the world federalist sentiments shared by Albert Einstein and many others in the late 1940s, in the period immediately following World War II.

    WikipediaWorldCATArchive.orgPDF
  • BookIntroductory

    Perpetual Peace

    Immanuel Kant · 1795 · World Federalism

    Perpetual Peace is an important essay by Immanuel Kant from 1795 which was originally published as Project for a Perpetual Peace. The original concept of perpetual peace is for peace to be a permanent fixture over a certain specific area or location. In modern times, the concept of world peace directly stems from this original idea of a perpetual peace. In this writing of Kant, he argues in favor of civil constitutions with Republican forms of government, world citizenship, free states, the abolishment of standing armies and for states not being able to use force to interfere with the constitutions or governments of another given state. This is an important work for those studying the idea of world peace and those interested in the writings of Immanuel Kant.

    WikipediaProject GutenbergLibriVox
  • BookIntermediate

    Peace through Law

    Hans Kelsen · 2000 · World Federalism

    Kelsen [1881-1973] departs from his theories on pure law and here proposes a formula for international peace. He proffers "peace guaranteed by compulsory adjudication of international disputes," (Part I): the formation of a world court with the authority to resolve international conflicts, and "peace guaranteed by individual responsibility for violations of international law," (Part II): that individual statesmen take personal moral and legal responsibility for war crimes and other acts of violation committed by their country.

    AmazonGoogle BooksPDF
  • BookIntermediate

    The Spring of Civilization

    Ian Hackett · 1973 · World Federalism

    The Spring of Civilisation’s opening chapter, entitled The Long Winter, used a brief history of the world of empires and nation-states to set up the argument that world law and world federal government are sine qua non for a sustainable, peaceful world.

    Federal Union
  • BookIntermediate

    A Global Parliament: Principles of World Federation

    Christoph Hamer · 1998 · World Federalism

    'A Global Parliament' gives a comprehensive discussion of the idea of world federation. Why should we want it? How might we get there? The world federalist movement has a long and fascinating history, but the end of the Cold War allows us a fresh look at the issues in question. The European Union also provides us with a crucial new model for the future. This is a book for all those interested in global governance, and how it might evolve in the new millennium.

    AmazonGoogle BooksPDF
  • BookIntermediate

    The Global Commonwealth of Citizens: Toward Cosmopolitan Democracy

    Daniel Archibugi · 2008 · World Federalism

    The Global Commonwealth of Citizens critically examines the prospects for cosmopolitan democracy as a viable and humane response to the challenges of globalization. Arising after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the decisive affirmation of Western-style democracy, cosmopolitan democracy envisions a world politics in which democratic participation by citizens is not constrained by national borders, and where democracy spreads through dialogue and incentives, not coercion and war. This is an incisive and thought-provoking book by one of the world's leading proponents of cosmopolitan democracy.

    Amazon
  • BookIntermediate

    Building a World Federation: The Key to Resolving Our Global Crises

    Sovaida Ma'ani Ewing · 2015 · World Federalism

    Humanity has been passing through stages of collective growth towards integration and unity. Our current collective crises--climate change, financial upheavals, proliferation of nuclear weapons, gross human rights atrocities, mismanagement of critical natural resources--manifest our passage through a turbulent adolescence. This book analyzes why and how humanity can take the next step towards maturity by establishing collective decision-making institutions that can evolve into a world federation of nation-states. Only then will we have a truly peaceful world.

    Amazon
  • BookIntermediate

    Global Democracy: The Struggle for Political and Civil Rights in the 21st Century

    Didier Jacobs · 2007 · World Federalism

    This book positions the idea of global democracy-that every human being ought to have an equal say in public policy decisions that affect all humankind-in the mainstream political debate on globalization. Now that political rights have been secured in many countries for the working class, women, and minorities, it is time for nationals of poor countries to gain political equality in world affairs with Westerners.

    Amazon
  • BookIntermediate

    The Age of Consent

    George Monbiot · 2004 · World Federalism

    Naomi Klein's ‘No Logo’ told us what was wrong. Now, George Monbiot shows us how to put it right. Provocative, brave and beautifully argued, ‘The Age of Consent’ is nothing less than a manifesto for a new world order. ‘Our task is not to overthrow globalisation, but to capture it, and to use it as a vehicle for humanity's first global democratic revolution.’ All over our planet, the rich get richer while the poor are overtaken by debt and disaster. The world is run not by its people but by a handful of unelected or underelected executives who make the decisions on which everyone else depends: concerning war, peace, debt, development and the balance of trade. Without democracy at the global level, the rest of us are left with no means of influencing these men but to shout abuse and hurl ourselves at the lines of police defending their gatherings and decisions. Does it have to be this way?

    Amazon
  • BookIntermediate

    One World Democracy: A Progressive Vision for Enforceable Global Law

    Jerry Tetalman · 2005 · World Federalism

    In One World Democracy, authors Jerry Tetalman and Byron Belitsos describe the only known long-term solution to the urgent global problems that threaten the survival of humankind: democratic world government and the rule of law at the global level—a federation of all nations. This book provides the definitive overview for our time of how humanity can replace the United Nations with a genuine world democracy. In this future world democracy, the executive branch will be strictly limited by a separation of powers—world courts, a global bill of rights, and a world legislature—all under a world constitution. One World Democracy is directed at today’s progressives who are ready to implement tomorrow’s solutions to the global crisis. This book teaches how to become part of the greatest political revolution in history.

    Amazon
  • BookIntermediate

    The Idea of World Government: From ancient times to the twenty-first century

    James A. Yunker · 2011 · World Federalism

    The notion of a single political organization encompassing the whole of humanity―a world state―has intrigued mankind since earliest recorded history. This book provides a concise yet comprehensive overview of the history of world government, and questions whether political globalization, in the form of a federal world government, could and should complement the ongoing processes of economic and cultural globalization. While the potential peacekeeping advantage of such a state is obvious, the consensus judgment has always been against it, because it could lead to totalitarian tyranny. Yunker examines whether this judgment is still correct, considering that nuclear weapons of unimaginable destructiveness now exist, capable of destroying human civilization as we know it. Summarizing the lessons of history, the author suggests that while the conventional world federalist concept of an unlimited world government is still impractical in today’s world, there may be a role for a limited federal world government that would go well beyond the existing United Nations, thereby providing a stronger institutional basis for the evolutionary development of genuinely effective global governance. This book is an important resource for all students and scholars of global governance, international relations and international organizations.

    Amazon
  • BookIntroductory

    The Great Experiment: The Story of Ancient Empires, Modern States, and the Quest for a Global Nation

    Strobe Talbott · 2008 · World Federalism

    This dramatic narrative of breathtaking scope and riveting focus puts the "story" back into history. It is the saga of how the most ambitious of big ideas -- that a world made up of many nations can govern itself peacefully -- has played out over the millennia. Humankind's "Great Experiment" goes back to the most ancient of days -- literally to the Garden of Eden -- and into the present, with an eye to the future.

    AmazonGoogle Books