Structure of the League of Nations
History: KS3, topic 18.4.1
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.
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).
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- The Council was originally made up of representatives of the most powerful countries in the League: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.
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.
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.
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.
Test yourself on Structure of the League of Nations
Complete the components of the League of Nations.
How often did the Assembly of the League of Nations meet?
What percentage of the League of Nations had to agree in order for a law/decision to pass?