'A sacred trust of civilization': The B mandates under Britain, France, and the League of Nations Permanent Mandates Commission, 1919--1939 (Tanzania, Togo, Cameroon)

The study of the League of Nations Mandates System is not frequently explored in the historiography of international history and the history of imperialism. The framers of the League of Nations Covenant created it to supervise the governance of the German colonies and Ottoman territories lost by those powers in World War I, intending the mandates system to create a more humane form of imperialism. France and Britain did not annex the territories they conquered, but agreed to administer them on behalf of the indigenous inhabitants and the League. The League created the Permanent Mandates Commission to oversee French and British administration in the new mandates.; This study examines one part of the system, the B mandates. These include Tanganyika Territory, Togo, and the Cameroons. They were divided between France and Britain, which were to govern them, according to the mandate treaties, for the “material and moral well-being” of the African population. Paris and London, however, feared that the League's influence over their governance would restrict policy choices, interfere with their imperial goals, and encourage Germany's attempts to reclaim its colonies. They therefore resisted the Permanent Mandates Commission and over the course of the interwar period progressively attempted to circumscribe its ability to supervise the mandates. This applied to the diplomatic interactions between Geneva and the powers, the economic development of the African mandates, and social policies.; This dissertation concludes that the League prevented the mandatory powers from using the mandates to as a tool to disguise their annexation of these African territories. However, League supervision failed to ensure administration on the basis of African interests. It also had only an occasional impact on Anglo-French policies. Its long-term influence on imperialism was significant, but during the interwar period it was limited.