LEAGUE OF NATIONS

• • League of Nations was set up in 1919 and was designed to stop war, however World War 2 broke out only 20 years after the League was made
• • The League was the idea of American president Woodrow Wilson
• The Leagues Aims:

  • Prevent any future wars from happening
  • Disarmament
  • Improve working conditions
  • To encourage co-operation
• Weaknesses of the League

  • No army - no powerful means to enforce decisions
  • USA didnt join the League (didnt join to stay out of worlds problems)
  • Structure of the League was confusing: Council - of the most important countires, Secretariat - organaised the League, Assembly - where countries met just once a year
  • League took long time to make decisions as they had to be made unanimously
• Why did the League of Nations fail?

  • Without army, strong countries did what they wanted where as weaker ones did what they were told
  • USA not joining
  • Memories of World War 1 meant that Britain and France did not want to get involved
  • Great Depression meant that Britain and France could not afford any threats
  • The League could not stop World War 2
• Successes of The League

  • Helped control some disease
  • Arrested slave traders and drug dealers
  • Stopped war over Aaland Island and Corfu