Includes bibliographical references and index.

National failure and international disregard -- Withdrawal, opposition, and aggression -- National humiliation at the individual level -- The cross-national consequences of humiliating international events -- Soothing wounded vanity : French and German expansion in Africa from 1882 to 1885 -- "Our honeymoon with the U.S. came to an end" : Soviet humiliation at the height of the Cold War.

"This book explores the nature of national humiliation and its impact on foreign policy, demonstrating that Germany's catastrophic reaction to its humiliation at the end of World War I was far from an anomaly. Instead it represents a broader pattern of international behavior in which states that have experienced humiliating events are more likely to engage in acts of international aggression aimed at restoring the state's image"-- Provided by publisher.