Sally J. Marks (January 18, 1931 – January 14, 2018) was an American historian and author specialising in the field of post-

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

diplomatic history.

Biography

Marks was born in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

. After graduation from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

, she worked for the

US Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

. Marks received a master's degree at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

, before doing a PhD in the United Kingdom at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

. Marks lectured in history at

Rhode Island College Rhode Island College (RIC) is a public college in Rhode Island, United States, with much of the land in Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, and other parts in North Providence, Rhode Island, North Providence. The college was established in 18 ...

, receiving the Mary Tucker Thorp College Professorship in 1983. Her research during the 1970s focused on then-newly opened archives of diplomatic correspondence from the period during and immediately after the

. Her discoveries in these archives cast doubt on the then-popular viewpoint advocated by

John Maynard Keynes John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes ( ; 5 June 1883 – 21 April 1946), was an English economist and philosopher whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments. Originall ...

that the

Versailles treaty The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. As the most important treaty of World War I, it ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allied Powers. It was signed in the Palace of Versailles, exactl ...

had been excessively punitive. In 1988 she took early retirement from teaching at the college to focus full-time on research. From the 1990s onwards Marks suffered from

myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a disabling Chronic condition, chronic illness. People with ME/CFS experience profound fatigue that does not go away with rest, as well as sleep issues and problems with memory ...

, and in later life from poor eyesight. Historian William R. Keylor of Boston University said of her work that it had "...precipitated what might be called the post-Keynesian version of the economic portion of the peace settlement of 1919 that has won widespread acceptance in the profession".

Awards and honors

Marks received the George Louis Beer Prize for her 1981 book ''Innocent Abroad: Belgium at the Paris Peace Conference''. She also received the Phi Alpha Theta senior scholar award, as well as fellowships from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies.

Books

Marks was the author of books including: *''The Illusion of Peace: International Relations in Europe 1918–1933'' (Macmillan, 1976) *''Innocent Abroad: Belgium at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919'' (University of North Carolina Press, 1981) *''The Ebbing of European Ascendancy: An International History of the World, 1914–1945'' (Arnold, 2002) *''Paul Hymans: Belgium'' (Makers of the Modern World: The Peace Conferences of 1919–23 and Their Aftermath, Haus Publishing, 2010)Review of ''Paul Hymans'': Norman Stone, ''Diplomacy & Statecraft'',

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marks, Sally 1931 births 2018 deaths 21st-century American historians 21st-century American women writers Historians of American foreign relations American women non-fiction writers People from New Haven, Connecticut People with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome