The stars of eternal truth and right

A mere three words established her lasting repute worldwide: Die Waffen nieder! The catchwords remained a pious wish to the present day, but they bespoke the astounding woman Bertha von Suttner was: intrepid, recalcitrant, forthright and spellbinding. Bertha was the type of woman the Belle Époque needed to turn the destiny of womanhood around. Enthused with the ideas of human progress, liberalism and individualism 'Peace Bertha', or 'Red Bertha', or 'Jew-Bertha' campaigned passionately against social injustice or relapse in whatever shape it presented itself, be this overt militarism, rigid conservatism, the oppression of women, or anti-Semitism. The Hague Peace Conferences of 1899 and 1907 were the undisputable highlights of Bertha's long career as engaged peace activist. To her, the Opening of the Peace Palace in 1913 was a dream come true. This publication focuses on Bertha's tenets and aspirations with regard to the emerging International Tradition in The Hague. It does so by giving her the floor. The substance of this book captures the gist of her views and ideals by way of hundreds of citations gathered from her Memoirs, Diaries and Correspondence, and handpicked from the tracts, novels and papers that constitute the rich yield of her unstoppable scholarly, literary and journalistic endeavours. The sum total is a fascinating portrait of an intriguing woman and public figure, a steadfast advocate of Women's Lib and the Cassandra of Peace on the eve of the Guns of August. Dr. Arthur Eyffinger (The Hague, 1947) is classicist and law historian.