The League of Nations

League of Nations

When the horrible fighting of World War I finally ended in November, 1918, the entire civilized world, in catching its collective breath, soon realized that not only the war that had just concluded, but indeed all war, was a revolting part of the human experience that was begging to be eradicated once and for all. It was during this time that the first steps were taken toward a unified group of member nations, across the globe that would together form what would come to be called the League of Nations. Lasting until 1945 and then morphing into the modern day United Nations, the League was an experiment in world government that, as this research will discuss, is imitated and cited to this day as an attempt to attain world peace. Additionally, this research will take a deeper look into the origins of the League of Nations, its achievements and controversies.

The League of Nations is Born

By 1918, the world had endured over half a decade of lost lives, destruction and violence due to the horrible reality of World War I. If nothing else, the War taught one very painful lesson beyond the obvious one that war is quite horrible- the very real possibility that it may be unnecessary and outdated as well. Embracing this idea, the League of Nations was officially "born" when President of the United States Woodrow Wilson gave his support. It should be noted, however, that the original concept of a united body of member-nations who would attempt to maintain peace and settle disputes amiably was actually in its planning stages as early as 1915, when the horrible toll of WWI was beginning to fester across the globe.

The act which brought the League of Nations into being as a permanent international body would take place with the ratification of the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended World War I upon the official surrender of Germany. The League began with four members in what was called its General Assembly: Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan, with additional member-nations inducted over the years of its existence.

Contrary to popular belief, while the U.S. was in fact the driving force behind the origination of the League of Nations, America was not an original member of the League, nor did it ever become a full member in any respect. Rather, the U.S. stood on the fringes of the organization, fulfilling a role as a peacekeeper of the world, but not getting involved in the minute details of the actual League itself. Whether this was a prudent move or not is open to debate, but as research proves, the League did not completely lead to peace among its members. For example, of course, one of the charter member nations, Japan, would in time wage war against the U.S. And play an antagonistic role in World War II. Other nations such as Germany and the Soviet Union would join the League of Nations for a time, but eventually abandoned it for the interests that would lead both nations toward their own troublesome events to come. In fact, these events would play a role in the disappearance of the League of Nations.

By 1938, Europe once again found itself in the midst of turmoil. Italy, led by Dictator Benito Mussolini, had invaded Africa and intended to continue to conquer all that lay in its path. This may have continued unabated had it not been for the rise of Adolf Hitler to power in Germany and his own quest for European domination. The strange agreement between Germany and Italy to not wage war against one another, or rather to co-exist as conquering forces, began the storm that would ultimately explode into the beginning of World War II, despite efforts on the part of the League of Nations to appeal to then former League members Italy and Germany to cease their war waging and remember the peace that they originally felt was appropriate in the beginning of the League of Nations.

No matter what efforts were attempted, the aggression of Germany in Europe and Japan in the Pacific Ocean and the then-American territory of Hawaii exploded into the official beginning of World War II in 1941. Strangely enough, it is fair to make the argument that one of the events which drove Hitler to push Germany deeper and deeper into war, despite being advised to the contrary, was the humiliation of having to cater to the peace movement that culminated after World War I and led to the birth of the League; this is not to say that the League actually caused additional war, however.

Upon the conclusion of World War II, after the death of Hitler and defeat of Germany and Japan respectively, the world once again in 1945 found itself repeating where it had been immediately after World War I. Whether the popular opinion that the League of Nations was antiquated became popular, or people simply sought a change of direction in world affairs because of the emotional, physical and financial exhaustion of yet another horrible war, the League of Nations was ultimately reborn in the form of the United Nations in 1945 and early 1946, the name which remains today.

The United Nations, as we will now discuss, still reflects back upon its ancestor, the League of Nations, and a world faced with major wars once again seeks relief and peace, truly proving the adage about history repeating itself, which itself has been repeated again and again.

Modern Day Reflection upon the League of Nations