The Commissions

What were the League's Special Commissions?

The Special Commissions were organisations that carried out the League's humanitarian work.

How did the League of Nations' Special Commissions work?

The League's commissions were several different organisations who undertook the humanitarian work needed to tackle issues the League saw as important.

What was the role of the League of Nations' Special Commissions?

The role of the League's Special Commissions was to help people in areas it was particularly worried about. These included tackling issues such as:

• ❖ Working conditions.
• ❖ Health.
• ❖ Human rights abuses.
• ❖ Economic concerns.
• ❖ Harmful drugs.

What different Special Commissions did the League of Nations set up?

The League set up a number of different Special Commissions, including:

• ❖ The Mandates Commission, for supervising the former colonies of Germany and Turkey.
• ❖ The Danzig Commission, which supervised the former German city.
• ❖ The Minorities Commission, which tried to improve the treatment and rights of ethnic minorities.
• ❖ The Special Commission for Drug Traffic, that tried to stop drug smuggling and addiction.
• ❖ The Refugees' Committee, which aimed to solve the problem of refugees and prisoners of war after the First World War.
• ❖ The Health Committee, which aimed to improve the health of people around the world.
• ❖ The Slavery Commission, which aimed to abolish slavery.
• ❖ The Women's Rights Commission, which aimed to introduce better equality for women.
• ❖ The World Disarmament Commission, which aimed to get all countries to reduce their armed forces.
• ❖ Economic and financial commissions were set up to help countries with struggling economies after the First World War.

What was the League of Nations' mandates special commission?

The mandates special commission had the following roles:

• ❖ It was responsible for the colonies of nations defeated in the First World War.
• ❖ It had a team of advisers that checked in on colonies previously owned by nations defeated in the First World War.
• ❖ It reported back on the treatment of the colonies and whether Britain and France, who now ruled them, were treating them fairly.
• ❖ It aimed to ensure France and Britain weren't abusing their authority, but were helping the people of each colony.
• ❖ It also took responsibility for the wellbeing of minority groups.

What was the Refugees Commission in the League of Nations?

The Refugees Commission (or Committee) was set up following the end of the First World War with the aim of repatriating the hundreds of thousands of refugees who had fled areas of conflict.

• ❖ Its main concern was focusing on territories such as the Balkans, Greece, Armenia and Turkey.
• ❖ The League of Nations reported in 1927 that there were 750,000 refugees from former Russian states, and 168,000 Armenians, all in need of repatriation.
• ❖ The League of Nations appointed Fridtjof Nansen to oversee the huge task of repatriating and aiding the refugees.

What was the Slavery Commission in the League of Nations?

The League of Nations created the Slavery Commission to abolish worldwide slavery, and help any worker being treated like a slave.

What was the League of Nations' Commission to prevent drug use?

The League of Nations' Commission to prevent drug use had 3 important aims.

• ❖ The League had a Special Committee for Drug Traffic that aimed to regulate harmful drugs and co-operate on the problem of drug-smuggling.
• ❖ As part of this, the League set up the Permanent Central Opium Board. This aimed to stop the creation and distribution of opium, a highly addictive drug.
• ❖ In 1925, the scope of the Permanent Central Opium Board was widened to include the regulation of other drugs.

What was the Health Organisation in the League of Nations' Commissions?

The Health Organisation had 4 important roles.

• ❖ The Health Organisation, or Committee, aimed to eradicate dangerous diseases and educate the general public on hygiene.
• ❖ The Health Organisation also worked alongside charities to spread global awareness on major health issues.
• ❖ It set up medical research projects and centres.
• ❖ It worked on the prevention of disease.

What problems did the League of Nations' Special Commissions face?

The League had huge ambitions to make the world a fairer and safer place for everyone. They had some success in helping people, but there were also many failures.