The League of Nations was the first global institution to be established in the modern world. Set up in 1920, it heralded a new era of international relations. Significantly, it vocally denounced war as a means of achieving a state’s foreign policy. Despite noble aims, it’s commonly held as a failure as it was unable to prevent the outbreak of World War II.
Why Was the League of Nations Created?
Following the end of World War I, the victorious Allied Powers met in Paris to establish the terms of the peace treaties to be accepted across Europe and beyond. France, Britain and the USA led the Allied Powers, with Italy and Japan playing supporting roles.
Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States at the time, initially suggested creating an international institution which would enable its member states to hold each other accountable and prevent further war. This League of Nations was incorporated into the Treaty of Versailles, the agreement between the Allied Powers and Germany signed in 1919.
The League of Nations rejected several principles which characterised so-called ‘old diplomacy’. It dismissed the idea that war was a reasonable means of achieving foreign policy and rejected the belief that an army was the most important element of a nation’s security were both rejected by the League of Nations. The unprecedented destruction of World War I motivated this shift.
Moreover, the League of Nations aimed to transform international diplomacy from a system of closed, often secret negotiations and undisclosed treaties. This transformation arose from the many alliances and agreements that had drawn countries into World War I, which citizens had been previously unaware of.
Who Was in the League of Nations?
The League of Nations included 42 founding member states, among them the major Allied powers of World War I. Germany joined in 1926 and the Soviet Union became a member in 1934. The League also comprised many smaller member states from around the world.
The League of Nations had three main bodies: the Assembly, the Council and the Secretariat.
The Assembly
The Assembly was composed of all member countries, and its purpose was to listen to and discuss disputes. It could also assign verbal sanctions to countries that were seen to be violating the principles of the League.
The Council
The Council was the body responsible for most of the important decisions, such as the implementation of economic sanctions. It had four permanent members: Britain, France, Italy and Japan. Four other council members were elected every three years by these permanent members.
The Secretariat
The Secretariat, led by a Secretary-General, headed the League of Nation’s humanitarian agencies, including the Permanent Court of International Justice.
The Legacy of the League of Nations
Due to domestic political pressure, the US chose not to enter the League of Nations. Despite this, the general international response remained overwhelmingly positive, with 48 countries joining the League in the first year. Several nations left the League of Nations as World War II approached, including Italy and Japan, and Germany withdrew under Hitler.
Some of the League’s successes included:
- Its intervention to protect Poland’s territory from Russian threat in 1920
- Its role in the Finnish-Swedish settlement regarding the Aaland Islands in 1921
- Splitting Upper Silesia between Germany and Poland in 1921, ending riots
- Its role in settling a dispute between Bulgaria and Greece in 1925
- The 1925 Geneva Protocol prohibiting the use of chemical and biological weapons in war
Why did the League of Nations fail?
As previously mentioned, the League of Nations is often perceived as a failure. Reasons for this include:
- Being side-lined by other groups, including the Conference of Ambassadors
- Its failure to achieve its disarmament aim as Germany defied the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and started rearming in the 1930s
- Its failure to prohibit war with its Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928, partially because such an aim is essentially unenforceable
- Its failure to prevent aggression from the Axis nations (Japan, Italy and Germany) in the 1930s
- The outbreak of World War II in 1939, despite the League’s mediation efforts
Despite its failure and disbandment during World War II, the League of Nations drastically changed international relations for the better, presaging a new era of global cooperation.
The United Nations
The prestige and genuinely international nature of the League of Nations’ successor, the United Nations (UN), stand as its greatest legacy. The UN provides mediation services in international disputes, promoting global peace, sustainability and justice – much like the League’s aims. If you’re interested in learning more about the United Nations, our IR & Politics summer course gives students the opportunity to participate in a Model UN Challenge, stepping into the role of a diplomat in a simulated UN Security Council.
The creation of the League of Nations was a direct response to the horrors of World War I. While it failed to prevent World War II, it set a new standard for international institutions, replacing the outdated diplomatic strategies of the 19th century. Its active legacy appears in the aims, values and work of the current United Nations.
By Oxford Scholastica Academy
The Oxford Scholastica Academy was founded in 2013 by Jamie and Sophie, two former University of Oxford students, who have built a dynamic education company dedicated to empowering young people to chart their path in the world and make it better.
