A “Global Nervous System”: The Rise and Rise of European Humanitarian NGOs, 1945–1985

Writing in 1978, Manchester Guardian columnist Harford Thomas described the rise of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the second half of the twentieth century as an “awakening” and a significant shift in the socio-political sphere: “NGOs are evolving into a new and central organism in what is sometimes called the body politic. Together they form a network which I see as the emergence of a global nervous system.”¹ At the heart of those changes lay the humanitarian aid and development sector. Going a step beyond the Amnesty International and the human rights movement guiding principle — that “individuals could change the policies of foreign governments” — humanitarian NGOs emphasized the power of “people-to-people” interaction.² In the process they contributed to a re-alignment of international relations towards a more globalized concept of international action. Their activities became so prominent — or at least their brands were so visible — that the 1980s earned the moniker “the NGO decade”, in recognition of their lasting impact on the aid industry.³