Power and Prejudice: The Politics and Diplomacy of Racial Discrimination

406 Pages·1988·9.875 MB·English

by  Paul Gordon Lauren

Power
and
Prejudice
The Heavy Burden of Racial Slavery
(source: Collection of the Musée de l’Homme)
The past as a precise idea has meaning and value only for the man who
is aware that he has a passion for the future.
—Paul Valery
We have given much thought to the problems arising from the invention
of the atom bomb which threatens the future of mankind. Yet we forget
that the forces generated by the maladjustment of human racial relations
are perhaps equally powerful and an equal threat to the future of the
world. The mind of man is more powerful than matter.
—Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit

Power
and
Prejudice
THE POLITICS AND DIPLOMACY
OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
Paul Gordon Lauren
Westview Press
BOULDER & LONDON
The frontispiece is printed by permission of the Musée de l'Homme, Paris. The photograph is no.
C.35.1495.467 in their collection.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Copyright C 1988 by Westview Press, Inc.
Published in 1988 in the United States of America by Westview Press, Inc., 5500 Central Avenue,
Boulder, Colorado 80301
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lauren, Paul Gordon.
Power and prejudice: the politics and diplomacy of racial
discrimination/Paul Gordon Lauren,
p. cm.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-8133-0678-7. ISBN 0-8133-0679-5 (if published as a paperback)
1. Race relations—History—20th century. 2. World politics—20th
century. 3. Racism—History—20th century. 4. International
relations. 5. Civil rights (International law). I. Title.
HT1521.L33 1988
305.800973—dc!9 88-5752
CIP
Printed and bound in the United States of America
The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American National
Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48-1984.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For my daughters,
Sandy and Jeanne,
with love

Contents
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction: “The Problem of
the Twentieth Century" 1
1 The Heavy Burden of the Past 5
The Tradition Begins, 5
Conquest and Captives, 11
Racial Slavery and Separation, 18
Ideology, Immigration, and Imperialism, 32
2 The Rising Tide 44
Ideology of Racial Struggle, 44
Immigration and Racial Exclusion, 51
Imperialism and Racial War, 58
World War I and Racial Tensions, 68
3 Racial Equality Requested—
and Rejected 76
Prelude of Anticipation, 76
“This Great Question of World Policy,“ 82
The Controversy Intensifies, 87
Rejection and Reaction, 93
4 From One War to Another 102
The “Highly Combustible“ Question, 102
The League and Racial Issues, 111
Fascism and National Socialism, 118
Into the Abyss of War and
the “Final Solution,“ 126
ix
x Contents
5 The Turning Point 136
The War as a Mirror, 136
Wartime Proposals for International Action, 143
Human Rights, Racial Equality,
and the Charter, 150
The Beginnings with New Questions, 158
6 Making a New Beginning 166
The United Nations as the Forum
and Focal Point, 166
Setting Standards for Human Rights, 174
Preventing and Punishing Genocide, 182
The Impact of the Cold War, 186
7 The End of Empire 197
Decolonization and Collapsing
Empires in Asia, 197
An Emerging "Third World" and
Independence in Africa, 208
Pursuing Decolonization and
Self-Determination, 219
Challenging Racial Discrimination, 225
8 A Decade for Action 233
Launching the Decade for Action
to Combat Racism, 233
Attacking the "Hard Core"
in Southern Africa, 240
Convening the World Conference
to Combat Racism, 248
Combating South Africa over Namibia
and Apartheid, 254
Epilogue: Toward the Future 268
Continuing and Persistent Problems, 268
Standards—and Double Standards, 272