Otfried Nippold was born in Wiesbaden, Germany in 1864. He studied law at the University of Bern, University of Halle, University of Tübingen before earning his doctorate at the University of Jena in 1886. Nippold was a prominent internationalist whose work played a significant role in the development of international law. In his study of treaties in 1894 Nippold proposed that power dominated relations between states with treaties agreed to the detriment of the weaker party. The behaviour of European countries in colonies Nippold cited as a prime example of force being used to impose international law on peaceful communities.
Major publications include:
The Development of International Law After the World War, translated from the German by Amos S. Hershey (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1923).