IRRC No. 907/908/909
The International Review of the Red Cross and the protection of civilians, c. 1919–1939
Reading time 72 min read
Abstract
This article will use past issues of the International Review of the Red Cross to
examine how the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (the
Movement) has engaged with the issue of civilian protection over the course of its
history. Although founded to organize humanitarian relief and legal protection for
wounded and sick combatants, the International Committee of the Red Cross and
the wider Movement have increasingly incorporated civilian war victims into their
remit since their establishment. Yet, as this article will highlight, this process has
not been straightforward. Focussing on the critical period between the two World
Wars, the article will use the Review to illustrate why the Red Cross began
engaging with the “civilianization” of conflicts in response to the threat of new
technologies like gas and aerial bombardment. Using articles from the Review to
highlight the key challenges faced by the Movement in protecting civilians over
this period, it will also consider the gaps in the Red Cross’s initial conceptions of
who “the civilian” was, why belligerents attacked them, and what was the best
means of protecting them.