The “Nansen Passport”

In the wake of the First World War there were a total of 9.5 million displaced people in Europe around 1920, including a large group of refugees from Russia. The high number of refugees posed major challenges to Europe. To address the uncertain status of refugees, the Norwegian diplomat Fridtjof Nansen, as High Commissioner for Refugees of the League of Nations, pressed for an internationally valid travel and identity document. The League of Nations resolved to introduce such a document in Geneva on 5 July 1922: the “Nansen Passport”. Julia Franke, curator of the exhibition “1917. Revolution.” describes you how the idea about this passport came up.