The League of Nations and the United Nations: Symbols of International Culture in the Twentieth Century

Cultural Perspectives and International Relations Studies

Abstract

In the study of international relations, culture has normally been interpreted to mean national culture or the “Clash of Civilizations.” However, in the twentieth century the establishment of the League of Nations and the United Nations created an “international culture.” To be sure, both the League and the U. N. are international governmental organizations which were established for political purposes, to establish a stable international order, but these organizations were most importantly designed to promote international understanding and cooperation.
Intellectuals, political activists and statesmen had long dreamed of a permanent international organization. Woodrow Wilson and General Smuts, for instance, made the goal of their efforts to found an international organization for the benefit of the whole of humanity, not just the creation of an organ for international settlement. The beliefs and hopes behind the League were carried on into the United Nations. When, in 1956, the U. N. was facing its crisis in the wake of the Suez Conflict, a leading Canadian statesman, Lester B. Pearson, and Dag Hammarskjöld created the Peace Keeping Operations to demonstrate the U. N.'s presence worldwide with a truly international neutral force. Both Pearson and Hammarskjöld were strong advocates of the idea of the international community. On the basis of these ideals and practices, the League and the U. N., taken together, have emrged as a symbol of international community.
As soon as the League was founded, it began publicizing its aims and activities through the publication of books and other materials such as films and slides. In the late 1920s, the Committee on International Cooperation, under the auspices of the League, recommended the publication of materials to educate young people and schoolchildren about the League. The Committee clearly stated that the broadening of knowledge about the League would lead to international cooperation. In addition, the League initiated its policy of informing the general public about its design and its activities. It started producing such publications as Essential Facts about the League of Nations. The U. N. carried on the League's policy, creating the Department of Public Information to take care of its public relations.
The League and the U. N.'s public information policies seem to have been successful. At present, not only the general public but also young people and children all over the world accept the existence, aims and activities of the U. N. very readily. Intellectual or academic discussions of the U. N. in general agree that the organization is important both in terms of its actual functions and its symbolic aspects. Textbooks in Japan, the United States and Great Britain deal with the League and the U. N. rather extensively. Furthermore, volunteers and those working in NGO activities regard the U. N. an an organ which provides them with opportunities to fulfill their mission.
The League and the United Nations, then, have acquired symbolic value through their association with the idea of an international community of harmony, peace and justice that transcends national boundaries. While we all necessarily realize that the U. N. has its limits under the present circumstances, we are also well aware of that the essential significance of the U. N. lies in its symbolism.