This historical chapter explains the origins of the ICRC in Geneva immediately before and after 1863 and the organization’s very early activities. It goes into some detail about the two key founding fathers, Henry Dunant and Gustave Moynier. The focus on two key persons gives flesh and blood to early developments for both the ICRC and the global Red Cross network that the ICRC initiated and helped structure. Religious origins are contrasted with secular evolution. Amateurism is contrasted with a quest for professionalization. Flexible decision-making is noted. Also mentioned are Genevan Exceptionalism and Swiss nationalism. This chapter allows a vivid contrast between the early ICRC and the organization it has become in contemporary times.

Especially in his later years, Twain became an outspoken critic of American nationalism and American and European colonialism. The Spanish-American War and atrocities in the Philippines led him to begin making public comments about imperialism. He was a member of the leading anti-imperialism society, and polemics like King Leopold’s Soliloquy were widely distributed and read. Twain’s increasingly bitter and satiric comments about imperialism lost him some readers but gained him the respect of many around the world.