This chapter explores how, through various steps and missteps, international norms governing refugees and asylum-seekers have evolved in response to events and crises of the 20th century. The two great wars of the 20th century triggered crucial rounds of normative development. The debates over what to do with refugees created by World War I and the Russian Revolution led to ad hoc measures and an emerging norm of care for refugees. The Holocaust triggered a new cycle of norm change, out of which emerged international organizations (UNHCR) and treaties (the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol) designed to ensure basic rights for refugees and asylum-seekers. In subsequent refugee crises, states have sought to limit their international responsibilities toward refugees.
Keywords: international law, international norms, normative change, World War I, Russian Revolution, Holocaust, UNHCR, 1951 Convention, asylum-seekers,