Was the League of Nations destined to fail?

• Was the League of Nations destined to fail?

  The League had no army of its own
• Was the League of Nations destined to fail?

  The League had some very ambitious plans and ideals - to stop war and make the world a better place, for example. However, it could be argued that these plans were too ambitious and didn't really stand a chance of succeeding
• Was the League of Nations destined to fail?

  The League met only once a year, the Council could veto proposals, and decisions had to be unanimous. This made decision-making slow
• Was the League of Nations destined to fail?

  The league's structure was complex and there weren't enough people to carry out decisions that were made
• Was the League of Nations destined to fail?

  America refused to join, and other powerful countries such as Germany and the USSR were not allowed to join when the League was formed
• Was the League of Nations destined to fail?

  Trade sanctions did not work because countries could still trade with places such as the USA
• Was the League of Nations destined to fail?

  Powerful countries weren't scared of moral condemnation, so the League's sanctions were useles
• Was the League of Nations destined to fail?

  The Great Depression meant countries were concerned with their own problems
• Was the League of Nations destined to fail?

  The Depression meant people turned to extremist dictators such as Hitler and Mussolini, who were keen to invade other countries. Ultimately, this led to the Second World War, as Hitler invaded more and more countries without the League doing anything to stop him
• Was the League of Nations destined to fail?

  The League was slow to act during the Manchurian crisis
• Was the League of Nations destined to fail?

  The British and French were too worried about keeping Mussolini as an ally against Hitler to stop the Abyssinian invasion