Date Approved
5-27-2025
Embargo Period
5-27-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. History
Department
History
College
College of Humanities & Social Sciences
Advisor
William Carrigan, Ph.D.
Committee Member 1
Emily Blanck, Ph.D.
Committee Member 2
Jody R. Manning, MA
Keywords
American Bar Association;Genocide Convention;International Treaties;League of Nations;Reservations;Sovereignty
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to explore the twentieth century practice of using reservations, understandings, and declarations to undermine international treaties, specifically the League of Nations and the Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Senators first attempted to attach reservations to the Treaty of Versailles after World War I in response to the proposed League of Nations. The concerns raised in the 1910s regarding sovereignty, domestic jurisdiction, and the rights of American citizens were repeated when the Genocide Convention was proposed in 1948. The Senate refused to pass the Genocide Convention until the 1980s and did so then only with reservations designed to undermine the intent and purpose of the treaty. The implications of these decisions have potential repercussions in our current political environment.
Recommended Citation
Zekan Brown, Emily, "RESERVATION CENTURY: THE USE OF RESERVATIONS FROM THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS TO THE GENOCIDE CONVENTION" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 3364.
https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/3364