The Great War and Its Legacy: A Great Humanitarian Adventure - The American Red Cross and U.S. Foreign Relations During the First World War Era

In this lecture, Dr. Julia Irwin discusses the important history of U.S. foreign aid during the First World War era. Focusing on the unprecedented role that the American Red Cross and its volunteers played in delivering U.S. humanitarian assistance to war-torn Europe, she examines the political, diplomatic, and cultural relevance of foreign relief to U.S. foreign relations.

Dr. Julia Irwin earned her Ph.D. in History from Yale University and is currently an Associate Professor of History at the University of South Florida. An award-winning author, she has published widely on the place of humanitarian aid in 20th century U.S. foreign relations. Her book, Making the World Safe: The American Red Cross and a Nation’s Humanitarian Awakening, is a history of U.S. international relief efforts during the First World War era. She is now writing a second book, Catastrophic Diplomacy: A History of U.S. Responses to Global Natural Disasters, a history of U.S. foreign disaster relief during the 20th century.