With it’s recent decision to honour the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, the Nobel Committee has sent a powerful message of concern that should be attached to nuclear weapons. It comes at a moment when North Korea is actively developing its nuclear programme, the fate of the Iran nuclear deal is in the balance, and the United States and Russia are both seeking to modernise their nuclear forces. ICAN campaigned for the drafting of an entirely new disarmament agreement – the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons – that was opened for signature at the United Nations in July this year. We have created a Library special on nuclear disarmament in order to provide you easy access to our collection.

World War I, or the Great War, was a global war, centred in Europe, that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. It involved all of the world’s great powers, which were assembled in two opposing alliances, the Allies the Central Powers. Ultimately, more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history. The outcome of the war subsequently paved the way for various political changes, such as revolutions in many of the nations involved. We have created a Library special on World War I in order to provide you easy access to our collection.