Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Essay

by Immanuel Kant

"Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Essay" by Immanuel Kant is a philosophical work published in 1795. Kant proposes a peace program for governments, including preliminary articles demanding the abolition of standing armies and secret treaties, alongside three definitive articles establishing republican constitutions, a federation of free states, and universal hospitality. Rather than advocating world government, Kant envisions a league of independent republics that would naturally tend toward peace through representative governance and international cooperation.