Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Humanitarian crises are a central problem of modern history and contemporary international relations. According to United Nations estimates, 300 million people required humanitarian assistance and protection in 2024 alone, due to displacement, armed conflict, food insecurity, disasters, and the consequences of climate change. The international humanitarian system, in turn, plays a powerful role in 21st century global affairs. Since the 1990s, the aid sector has ballooned in size and influence. It is now a multi-billion-dollar industry, employing hundreds of thousands of people globally. In a clear, accessible, and concise narrative, Humanitarianism: A Very Short Introduction explains how and why this situation came to be. In this book, historian Julia F. Irwin traces the events and trends that defined modern humanitarianism, from the eighteenth century up to the present day. It describes the origins of international humanitarian