G. R. Berridge

Author of Diplomacy: Theory and Practice

16 Works 219 Members 2 Reviews 1 Favorited

About the Author

G. R. Berridge is Emeritus Professor of International Politics at the University of Leicester, UK, and a Senior Fellow of DiploFoundation. He was for many years general editor of the Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Diplomacy series, and Associate Editor for twentieth-century diplomatists of the show more Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. He has written numerous books on diplomacy, the most recent of which is British Diplomacy in Turkey, 1583 to the Present (2009). Diplomacy is periodically updated on his personal website. show less

Includes the names: Geoff Berridge, G. R. Berridge

Works by G. R. Berridge

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Diplomacy: Theory and Practice (1995) 88 copies

A Dictionary of Diplomacy, Second Edition (2000) 44 copies

Outposts of Diplomacy: A History of the Embassy (2024) 21 copies, 1 review

Diplomatic Theory From Machiavelli To Kissinger (Studies in Diplomacy) (2001) 17 copies, 1 review

International Politics: States, Power and Conflict Since 1945 (1983) 12 copies

Diplomacy: Theory and Practice (2015) 8 copies

The Counter-Revolution in Diplomacy and Other Essays (2011) 6 copies

British Diplomacy in Turkey, 1583 to the present (Diplomatic Studies) (2009) 5 copies

Embassies in Armed Conflict (2012) 5 copies

Diplomatic Classics: Selected Texts from Commynes to Vattel (Studies in Diplomacy and International Relations) (2004) 3 copies

Gerald Fitzmaurice (1865-1939), Chief Dragoman of the British Embassy in Turkey (History of International Relations, Diplomacy, & Intelligence) (2007) 3 copies

Return to the United Nations: U.N. Diplomacy in Regional Conflicts (1990) 2 copies

Talking to the enemy : how states without diplomatic relations communicate (1994) 2 copies

Machiavelli's Legations 1 copy

South Africa, the colonial powers and "African defence" : the rise and fall of the white entente, 1948-60 (1992) 1 copy

Economic Power in Anglo-South African Diplomacy: Simonstown, Sharpeville and After (1981) 1 copy

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Birthdate: 20th Century
Gender: male
Organizations: University of Leicester
Society of Authors
Royal Commonwealth Society
Short biography: G. R. Berridge read Politics and Economics at Durham University and International Relations at Sussex. In the early 1970s he returned to Durham to do a Ph.D. After also qualifying (with distinction) as a school teacher at the Department of Education in Durham and teaching at Farnborough Sixth Form College (Hampshire) for several years, in 1978 he was appointed to the Department of Politics at Leicester University. He was made a Reader in 1989 and given a personal Chair with the title of 'Professor of International Politics' in 1993. In 2001, he was given the title and status of 'Emeritus Professor'.
Nationality: UK
Associated Place (for map): UK

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2 reviews

HistoryToday 281 reviews

Outposts of Diplomacy: A History of the Embassy by G. R. Berridge

We all know what embassies are: grand houses where pompous people stand under chandeliers drinking champagne to no obvious purpose. Why should we waste our money on these overpaid toffs when modern technology allows instant communication between world leaders?

G.R. Berridge tackles the question in his history of the permanent diplomatic mission. It is a convoluted story, covering many continents and cultures, but Berridge has mastered the voluminous literature and the intricate detail. He is show more a fluent storyteller, though the story is overwhelming. It probably began in the Renaissance, when the Italian states decided to keep people in rival cities to handle business. The questions started immediately: did an ambassador need to be so grand? Or live in such an expensive house? Couldn’t the business be done by people sent from home?

For an answer you have to go back to the basics. Governments need to pass messages safely to their opposite numbers and understand the replies. That sounds simple, but it isn’t. Politicians have little idea how foreign minds think. The messages they send may make sense to them, less so to their correspondents. They need someone who can ensure each side understands the other and can mop up the tears when things go wrong – as they so often do. An ambassador can also be a convenient scapegoat.

Read the rest of the review at https://www.historytoday.com/archive/review/outposts-diplomacy-g-r-berridge-revi...

Rodric Braithwaite was British Ambassador to the Soviet Union (1988-91). show less

Sep 4, 2024

jarlalex 49 reviews

Diplomatic Theory From Machiavelli To Kissinger by G. R. Berridge

This is a book that I'm glad to have read once -- I expect I shall never pick it up again. It's rather dry (as with just about anything theory-based) but penetrable, and presents a snapshot of how the art of diplomacy has been seen from a variety of western perspectives.

Aug 22, 2007