How much successful was The League of Nations in the 1920s?
How successful was The League of Nations in the 1920s?
“Merely to win the war was not enough. It must be won in such a way as to ensure the future peace of the world” President Woodrow Wilson, 1918
Introduction
In front of the US Congress on January 8, 1918, President Woodrow Wilson enumerated his Fourteen Points created to ensure a more peaceful world. In the last point, the American president expressed the need to form a “general association of nations…formed on the basis of covenants designed to create mutual guarantees of the political independence and territorial integrity of states, large and small equally”. In order to succeed, Wilson’s ideas were in need of some kind of regulation or enforcement which fostered international cooperation, provided security for its members and ensured a lasting peace. With Europe’s population exhausted by four years of total war which had caused the deaths of millions of civilians, and with many in the United States supportive of the belief that a new organization would be essential to solve international disputes, the idea of creating the League of Nations became wildly popular. Set in motion by the Treaty of Versailles in 1920, this international organization which lasted until 1946 and whose objective was to achieve “peace without victory” achieved some successes but, ultimately, was unable to prevent the even deadlier World War II. Therefore, from my point of view, I would consider the action of the League more of a failure than a success in the 1920s. In this essay, an exposition of both successful and unsuccessful events will be provided so an educated fact-based idea of how effective the League was in the 1920s can be achieved and defended.
Was the League of Nations able to fulfil its objectives?
Aims of the League
1) Stop war and encourage countries to cooperate;
2) Improve living and working conditions of people all around the world;
3) Encourage nations to disarm so aggression could be discouraged;
“Merely to win the war was not enough. It must be won in such a way as to ensure the future peace of the world” President Woodrow Wilson, 1918
Introduction
In front of the US Congress on January 8, 1918, President Woodrow Wilson enumerated his Fourteen Points created to ensure a more peaceful world. In the last point, the American president expressed the need to form a “general association of nations…formed on the basis of covenants designed to create mutual guarantees of the political independence and territorial integrity of states, large and small equally”. In order to succeed, Wilson’s ideas were in need of some kind of regulation or enforcement which fostered international cooperation, provided security for its members and ensured a lasting peace. With Europe’s population exhausted by four years of total war which had caused the deaths of millions of civilians, and with many in the United States supportive of the belief that a new organization would be essential to solve international disputes, the idea of creating the League of Nations became wildly popular. Set in motion by the Treaty of Versailles in 1920, this international organization which lasted until 1946 and whose objective was to achieve “peace without victory” achieved some successes but, ultimately, was unable to prevent the even deadlier World War II. Therefore, from my point of view, I would consider the action of the League more of a failure than a success in the 1920s. In this essay, an exposition of both successful and unsuccessful events will be provided so an educated fact-based idea of how effective the League was in the 1920s can be achieved and defended.
Was the League of Nations able to fulfil its objectives?
Aims of the League
1) Stop war and encourage countries to cooperate;
2) Improve living and working conditions of people all around the world;
3) Encourage nations to disarm so aggression could be discouraged;