THE LEAGUE OF

NATIONS
THE SECRETARIAT

 This was the body or

‘civil service’ that dealt
with the smooth
operation of the League.
 It kept records of all
meetings in its archives
and prepared and
compiled reports for the
Council and Assembly on
behalf of the various
agencies and other
institutions which made
them.
 THE ASSEMBLY
 This body was essentially the League’s
parliament; every member state had an
allowance of three representatives. It
would meet once a year to discuss
contemporary issues and they decided
or voted on:
• Recommending an action to the Council
(who had to consent to suggestions of
the Assembly)
• Appointing temporary members to the
council (though they did not have a
vote).
• The budget of the League
Fireworks after the First Meeting of the League of • Other ideas put forward by the Council
Nations, 1920
 THE COUNCIL

 The council was a small group

starting off with four
permanent members, Britain,
France, Italy and Japan and
another number of temporary
members.
 Germany and the USSR later
joined as permanent members
in that order. It met around five
times a year.

1st Council Session, the Palais du Quai d'Orsay in Paris where the Pact of
the League of Nations was negotiated and where the First Council session
met. Paris, 1920
UNANIMOUS VOTES

In fact the Assembly and the Council

operated together and one would have to
give consent to the other on decisions.

But: the Assembly and Council both had

to vote unanimously except in
circumstances of procedure and other
cases, such as the admission of new
members. This was to uphold the belief
that League did not ‘enforce’ its rulings
but sought its solutions by all of its
members’ consent.

However one exception included

disputes, when only the majority of the
Assembly was required, but which
needed all members of the Council in
favour.
PHILOSOPHY
 Every permanent member importantly had a
VETO which allowed any single permanent
member to block any decision the Council
made, in the hope that a better solution
would be worked out which everyone could
agree to. The council was responsible for
creating ideas to pass onto the Assembly as
previously mentioned and for solving
disputes between members. The only
consistent power it had to ‘force’
agreements on states was moral
condemnation. Economic sanctions often
failed and recourse to the armed forces of
other member countries was rare.

 Its lack of real force was a testament to its

philosophy of trying to solve disputes
through consensus. How realistic was this?
 PERMANENT COURT OF
INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE

 The Permanent Court of International

justice formed one of the key parts of
the League of Nations. Its role was to
settle member states’ disputes as well
as give legal advice to the Council
and/or the Assembly.
 It was based in The Peace Palace, The
Hague. The Judges were
nominatedfrom member states.
 If asked the PCIJ would give a decision
on a border dispute between two
countries after examining the
situation.
 The court however unlike other
courts had no way to ensure the
countries co-operation. This was
perhaps its biggest failing.
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ASSOCIATION

 Established in 1919 and continues as part of the

UN to this day.
 This brought together employers, governments
and workers’ representatives every year.
 The aim was to improve the workers’ conditions
around the world.
 Collected statistics and information about
working conditions then tried to persuade
other countries to adopt its suggestions. One
of the key successes of the ILO under the league
was the banning of poisonous white lead from
paint.
 It also managed to limit the hours small
children could work and was the first to
The Administrative council of the ILO in action. introduce a 48-hour week, however this was
only adopted by a few countries.
 It in general campaigned for improved
conditions and livelihoods for workers.
 THE MANDATES COMMISSION
Mandates Commission, Extraordinary Session on
Palestine, President Pierre Orts (Belgium), 1937
 Following the First World War and the Treaty of
Versailles, St Germain, Sevres etc., the
Mandates Commission was established under
Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of
Nations.
 WW1 had led to many former colonies of
Germany and her allies ending up as League of
Nations mandates ruled by Britain and France
(Syria, Palestine, etc.).
 The mandates were set up with the intention of
preparing various nations (often volatile) for
self government.
 France and Britain would stabilise the country
or region and aid in the setting up of a ‘fair
democratic government’.
 However, France and Britain often exploited
this and the Mandates were often seen as
colonies under another name. The Mandates
Commission was set up to ensure that there
were no false pretences, and that Britain and
France acted in the interests of the people of
the territory, not their own.
THE REFUGEE COMMITTEE

 This commission aimed to help return

refugees, displaced after the chaos of
the First World War, to their homes.
This committee was extremely
successful in the main.
 It is estimated that 400,000 prisoners
of war were returned to their homes
by the League’s agencies.
 It also looked after the refugees,
acting quickly in the Refugee Crisis in
Turkey in 1922 to eliminate cholera,
smallpox and dysentery in the camps.
THE SLAVERY COMMISSION

 This commission’s aim was the abolition

of slavery around the world. While the
League was often able to put a stop to
slavery in many regions, the league kept
vital records and information on such
inequality.
 One major triumph the commission did
achieve was the 1926 Slavery Convention,
which defined the act of slavery and
vowed to prevent slave trade.
 As of 2002, 97 countries have committed
their support to this convention and the
suppression of slavery. However, some
argue it had little effect when there was a
need to enforce it.
 THE HEALTH COMMITTEE
 The Health committee attempted to deal
with the problem of dangerous diseases
and to educate people about health and
sanitation.
 It committed itself to defeating leprosy
and started a very successful global
campaign to exterminate mosquitoes,
leading to greatly reduced cases of
malaria and Yellow Fever in later decades.
 It worked hard to get its message across
to everyone even advising countries such
The founding principles of the Health as the USSR, who opposed the League, on
Committee, Missions of the Health
Section of the League of Nations. how to prevent disease.
Exhibition "Protection of children",
Belgrade, 1938 (from the WHO website)