Colonialism, Imperialism, and the League of Nations

Abstract

The history of colonialism, decolonization, and postcolonial development is a global cross-cutting trend in world history, spanning several centuries. The research interest in the legacy of the League of Nations in the field of internationalization of mandate territories has been intensifing in recent years. In the last third of the 21st century, the term "imperialism" began to be applied to the active European colonization and division of the world. The First World War brought significant changes to the processes of colonialism and imperialism. The League of Nations, the first international organization, was shaped. The mandate system was developed in the League of Nations as a compromise option for transferring the former German colonies and possessions of the Ottoman Empire. However, the mandate system of the League of Nations was more than a cover for the colonial division of territories. The principle of international trusteeship and the internationalization of management has appeared in the mandate system. Open imperialism became a thing of the past. In the interwar period, the mandate system marked the beginning of the crisis of colonial empires. The Permanent Mandates Commission (PMC) the League of Nations created a new network of political influence for change in the mandate territories. The mother countries was subject to these rules under the threat of being accused of non-compliance with international law and the terms of their respective mandates. The completely new practice of petitioning Geneva provided some political opportunities for residents and various groups in mandate territories to change the practices of mandate governments. The internationalization of economic and cultural life was also fruitful. Education and health services were developed in the mandate territories due to the practice of discussing these issues in the Permanent Mandates Commission . Despite the fact that at the time of decolonization, the result of the development of mandate territories was not very different from that of colonial countries, the League of Nations managed to change a lot in the world over a short period of time.