La Sociedad de Naciones

Overview & Synopsis

After the First World War, the League of Nations established a system of multilateral diplomacy and global governance that gave rise to a range of structures for intellectual co operation, which would later serve as a direct precursor to UNESCO. The scientific and cultural exchange networks, development cooperation policies, the World Health Organization, the open science movement, and the proliferation of international academic bodies that characterise the present day all trace their origins to the League’s initiatives in this field. This book presents the outcomes of the international conference held at the Casa de Velázquez and UC3M in November 2024, devoted to examining the actions, structures and dynamics developed within the League of Nations and within the local and national ecosystems that aligned themselves with its aims. The volume offers an initial forum for reflecting on the role of cultural diplomacy and intellectual co operation in the League’s promotion of a culture of peace, with particular attention to Spain, as well as Portugal and the Ibero American countries, whose active participation in its organisations and co operation networks has traditionally received limited scholarly attention.