Norman Angell

Norman Angell was a bachelor and there is no record of any romantic relationships either.

Norman Angell died on 7 October, 1967 in Croydon, England at the age of 94.

Ralph Norman Angell Lane was born on 26 December, 1872 in Holbeach, England to Thomas Angell Lane and his wife Mary Lane. He dropped the Lane from his name and assumed the surname Angell instead.

Norman Angell studied at schools in his native England before going off to Paris for his school level education at the Lycee de St. Omer. Sufficient information is not available on the exact years in which Agnell graduated high school.

Subsequently Norman Angell moved to Switzerland, where he studied at the University of Geneva. During his time at the university, Angell was not only involved in academics but also honed his skills as a journalist by editing a local newspaper that used to be published in English. Angell had also started thinking about the future of Europe quite deeply during his time in Geneva.

In 1890, Norman Angell moved to the United States at the age of 17 and did a number of jobs in the West Coast of the country. Some of his jobs in the United States included that of a vine planter, cowboy, mail carrier and ditch digger among others. However, eventually he got to work as a journalist for two publications - the St. Louis Globe Democrats and the San Francisco Chronicle - during his eight year stay in the United States.

Norman Angell had to go back to his native England in 1898 but he did not live there for long as he moved to Paris as the editor of the ‘Daily Messenger’, an English language daily. Subsequently, he worked for the magazine ‘Éclair’ and at the same time, American publications hired him as their French correspondent.

In 1905, the British daily ‘The Daily Mail’ appointed him as the Paris based editor of the newspaper and he continued in the position for seven years. He went back to England when the First World War broke out and upon his return he helped establish the Union of Democratic Control.

Norman Angell published his most significant work in the form of the book ‘The Great Illusion’ in 1909. The book argued about the demerits of war and put forward the thought that it did not actually lead to any economic development for a country. The booked became extremely popular and was translated into several languages.

In 1920, Norman Angell became a member of the Labour Party and nine years later he became the Member of Parliament from Bradford North. A year prior to becoming an MP, Angell was appointed as the editor of the prestigious magazine ‘Foreign Affairs’ and remained in the role for two years. He also wrote the book ‘The Money Game’ around this time.

Norman Angell’s most significant work in a stellar career as a journalist, politician and peace activist is without doubt his book ‘The Great Illusion’ that was published in 1909. It became very popular and was regarded as one of the most significant works on the case against war.