ABSTRACT

This chapter provides an overall glance into the history of the World Veterans Federation (WVF). It explores its origins and the context in which it emerged. The globalization of international veterans' affairs after 1945 was an uneven process whose precise contours need to be discovered. The chapter examines the trajectory of the organization by looking at its leadership, membership, funding and main activities between 1950. It argues that the history of the WVF must be observed in the context of the global Cold War but not only within this framework. As an international non-governmental organization, the WVF welcomed member associations from different countries rather than national representatives. Nation states were represented in the WVF through the organizations that decided to join independently, but the representativeness of the member associations varied. It is important to highlight that Cold War struggles inside the veterans' transnational sphere not only concerned Europe but also the rest of the world.