16.4.1

Structure of the League of Nations

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The Structure of the League of Nations

The structure of the League of Nations included the Assembly, the Council, the Special Commissions, the Permanent Court of International Justice, and the Secretariat.

Illustrative background for The AssemblyIllustrative background for The Assembly ?? "content

The Assembly

  • The Assembly met once a year and was made up of representatives from member countries.
  • In order to pass any laws/decisions all of the votes had to be unanimous (they all had to agree).
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The Council

  • Because the Assembly only met once a year, it was decided that a smaller group of representatives should be established to try and get decisions made quicker.
  • The Council was originally made up of representatives of the most powerful countries in the League:
    • Great Britain.
    • France.
    • Italy.
    • Japan.
  • As time went on, a total of 9 countries were allowed to join the Council.
Illustrative background for The Special CommissionsIllustrative background for The Special Commissions ?? "content

The Special Commissions

  • The Special Commission groups focused on improving humanitarian conditions across the world.
  • They focused on things that improved people's standard of living, such as stopping slavery or helping to cure deadly diseases.
  • Examples of Special Commission groups included:
    • The Health Commission.
    • The Slavery Commission.
    • The International Labour Organisation.
    • The Commission for Refugees.
Illustrative background for The Permanent Court of International JusticeIllustrative background for The Permanent Court of International Justice ?? "content

The Permanent Court of International Justice

  • The members of the Permanent Court of International Justice were elected by the Assembly and they were given their jobs for 11 years.
  • This court was set up to settle international arguments.
  • Any country could attend the court to present their issues and disputes.
  • The PCIJ was made up of 11 judges and 4 deputy judges.
  • All of these judges would listen to the evidence and then pass judgement on the issue.
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The Secretariat

  • The Secretariat was a service that was in charge of all of the administrative issues and duties of the League.
  • They organised anything the League had put into action apart from military affairs.
  • The first Secretary-General who led the Secretariat was Eric Drummond, from England.

Jump to other topics

1The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

1.1Anglo-Saxon England

1.2The Contest for the English Throne

1.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

1.4King John

1.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

1.6The Black Death

2Worldviews

3The Empire of Mali

4The Renaissance & Reformations, 1500-1598 AD

5The British Empire, 1583-1960 AD

6The Peasants' Revolt

7Religion in the Middle Ages

8Slavery, 1619-1833 AD

9The English Civil War, 1642-1660

10The Industrial Revolution, 1750-1840

11US Independence, 1775-1783

12The French Revolution, 1789-1815

13The British Empire, 1857–1930

14Suffrage

15World War 1, 1914-1918

16The Inter-War Years, 1919-1939

17World War 2, 1939-1945

18The Cold War, 1947-1962

19Civil Rights in the USA, 1954-1975

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