Book contents
- Resilient Humanitarianism
- Resilient Humanitarianism
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I Disruption of the Red Cross Ecosystem
- 1 1919: Rebirth
- 2 1946: Recalibration
- 3 1975: Reflection
- Part II Global Health Initiatives
- Part III A Peacetime Organisation in War
- Part IV Providing Relief and Building Capacity
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
3 - 1975: Reflection
from Part I - Disruption of the Red Cross Ecosystem
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 March 2026
Book contents
- Resilient Humanitarianism
- Resilient Humanitarianism
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I Disruption of the Red Cross Ecosystem
- 1 1919: Rebirth
- 2 1946: Recalibration
- 3 1975: Reflection
- Part II Global Health Initiatives
- Part III A Peacetime Organisation in War
- Part IV Providing Relief and Building Capacity
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter focuses on the Tansley Report or ‘Big Study’, an independent study undertaken by the Red Cross movement in the 1970s. The aim was to conduct a reappraisal of the Red Cross, its role, image, and status in a rapidly changing world. The chapter argues that the main recommendations of the Report, to narrow the focus of the League of Red Cross Societies on disaster relief and strengthen the Secretariat, were largely ignored because they ran counter to the federated nature of the global humanitarian organisation. National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies wanted to retain their autonomy and continue to conduct a broad range of social welfare and public health programmes relevant to their own communities. Despite its flaws, the Tansley Report offers a unique snapshot of the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement in the 1970s, and remains the most detailed external analysis undertaken.
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- Resilient HumanitarianismThe League of Red Cross Societies, 1919–1991, pp. 60 - 76Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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