The League of Nations was formed after World War I to prevent war and resolve international disputes through negotiation and arbitration. It was based in Geneva and included Allied and neutral nations. The Treaty of Versailles provided the framework for its creation, but the US did not permanently join due to opposition. The League intervened in territorial disputes, fought against the opium trade and sexual slavery, and worked for world disarmament. Its failure was due to the US not joining, the inability to stop the war between Italy and Abyssinia, and the outbreak of World War II. It dissolved in 1946, transferring its powers to the United Nations.
The League of Nations was an international organization formed immediately after World War I and existed from 1919 to 1946. Its main objective was to encourage the use of negotiation and arbitration to prevent war and resolve international disputes. The League of Nations was based in Geneva, Switzerland. It included the victorious Allied nations of World War I, with the exception of the United States, as well as many neutral nations.
World War I ended in November 1918 after Germany signed an armistice with the Allies. Though the fighting had ceased, nations continued to meet, draft peace treaties, and organize a basis for handling future conflicts between the countries of the world. An official peace conference met in Paris in 1919 to discuss these most important issues. At the center of the conference were leaders of several important countries: Woodrow Wilson of the United States, David Lloyd George of Great Britain and Georges Clemenceau of France.
After months of negotiations, the countries drafted the postwar Treaty of Versailles. This treaty imposed consequences on Germany for the start of the war and provided the framework for the creation of the League of Nations. The treaty was signed on June 28, 1919. Twenty-nine members of the Allied Powers signed the treaty and became official members of the League, with 13 more neutral powers joining by the end of 1920.
US President Woodrow Wilson was heavily involved in the Paris Peace Conference and in drafting the Treaty of Versailles. Despite his involvement and dedication to the formation of the League of Nations, all US treaties must be ratified by a two-thirds majority in the US Senate. Opponents of the treaty waged a bitter struggle against President Wilson, and in 1920 a landslide Republican victory in the Senate general election prevented the United States from permanently joining the League.
Over the years, the League of Nations has intervened in territorial disputes and conflicts between and within nations. Members fought against the international opium trade and sexual slavery and worked for world disarmament. The League has also formed councils to study the legal status of women around the world and to oversee the plight of refugees.
There are several points of interest that led to the failure of the League of Nations. The inability of the United States to join the League weakened the organization from the beginning. The failure to stop the war in 1935 between Italy and Abyssinia – which became Ethiopia – further weakened their prestige. Finally, the outbreak of World War II in 1939 demonstrated that the League was powerless to sustain its primary aim, which was to prevent another world war. The League of Nations dissolved in 1946, transferring its powers and resources to a newly established organization, the United Nations.
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