International Organizations play a pivotal role on the modern global stage and have done, this book argues, since the beginning of the 20th century. This volume offers the first historical exploration into the formative years of international public administrations, covering the birth of the League of Nations and the emergence of the second generation that still shape international politics today such as the UN, NATO and OECD. Centring on Europe, where the multilaterization of international relations played out more intensely in the mid-20th century than in other parts of the world, it demonstrates a broad range of historiographical and methodological approaches to institutions in international history. The book argues that after several ‘turns’ (cultural, linguistic, material, transnational), international history is now better equipped to restate its core questions of policy and power with a view to their institutional dimensions. Making use of new approaches in the field, this book develops an understanding of the specific powers and roles of IO-administrations by delving into their institutional make-up.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Introduction, Karen Gram-Skjoldager, Aarhus University, Denmark and Haakon A. Ikonomou, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and Torsten Kahlert, and University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Part I: Populating Administrations Chapter 2 Biographical Analysis: Insights and Perspectives from the IO BIO Dictionary Project Bob Reinalda, Radboud University, The Netherlands. Chapter 3 The Biography as Institutional Can-Opener: An Investigation of Core Bureaucratic Practices in the Early Years of the League of Nations Secretariat Haakon A. Ikonomou, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Chapter 4 Prosopography – Unlocking the Social World of International Organizations Torsten Kahlert, Aarhus University, Denmark. Part II: Learning and Norms Chapter 5: The Influence of the United States on the Rise of Global Governance in Education: The OEEC and UNESCO in the Post-World War II Period, Maren Elfert, King's College London, UK & Christian Ydesen, Aalborg University, Denmark. Chapter 6: Learning Across Institutions – the Officials of the ECSC High Authority and EEC Commission, Katja Seidel, University of Westminster, UK Chapter 7: Food and Nutrition – Expertise Across International Epistemic Communities and Organizations, 1919-1960, Amy Sayward, Middle Tennessee State University, USA. Part III: Legitimacy and Legimization Chapter 8: Legitimizing International Bureaucracy – Press and Information Work from the League of Nations to the UN, Emil Seidenfaden, Aarhus University, Denmark Chapter 9: Between Publicity and Discretion: The International Federation of League of Nations Societies, Anne-Isabelle Richard, Leiden University, The Netherlands Chapter 10 An Uneasy Relationship – German Diplomats and Bureaucrats in the League of Nations, Michael Jonas, Helmut Schmidt Universität, Germany Part IV: Leadership and Administration Chapter 11: Secretaries-General and Crisis Management – Trygve Lie and the UN, Ellen Ravndal, University of Stavanger, Norway. Chapter 12: Leadership Styles and Organizing Principles in NATO: Ismay, Spaak and Wörner, Linda Risso, Institute of Historical Research/School of Advanced Studies, UK Chapter 13: The Making of International Civil Servants c. 1920-1960 – Establishing the Profession, Karen Gram-Skjoldager, University of Copenhagen, Denmark and Haakon A. Ikonomou, Aarhus University, Denmark