League of Nations facts for kids

Quick facts for kids League of Nations Société des Nations
1920–1946
Semi-official flag (1939) Semi-official emblem (1939)
Anachronous world map showing member states of the League during its 26-year history
Status	Intergovernmental organisation
Headquarters	Geneva
Common languages	French and English
Secretary-General
• 1920–1933	Sir Eric Drummond
• 1933–1940	Joseph Avenol
• 1940–1946	Seán Lester
Deputy Secretary-General
• 1919–1923	Jean Monnet
• 1923–1933	Joseph Avenol
• 1933–1936	Pablo de Azcárate
• 1937–1940	Seán Lester
Historical era	Interwar period
• Treaty of Versailles becomes effective	10 January 1920
• First meeting	16 January 1920
• Dissolved	18 April 1946
Preceded by Succeeded by Concert of Europe United Nations
The headquarters were based from 1 November 1920 in the Palais Wilson in Geneva, Switzerland, and from 17 February 1936 in the purpose built Palace of Nations, also in Geneva.

The League of Nations was the first big international group created to keep world peace. It started on January 10, 1920, after World War I ended. The main goal of the League was to stop future wars. It aimed to do this by getting countries to work together, reduce their weapons, and solve problems through talking instead of fighting.

The League's rules were written in something called the Covenant of the League of Nations. This document was signed on June 28, 1919, as part of the Treaty of Versailles. The League officially began when the Treaty became active.

Even though the League had good intentions, it faced many challenges. It didn't have its own army. It relied on powerful countries like Britain and France to make sure its rules were followed. These countries were often unwilling to use force or strict punishments. For example, when Italy invaded Ethiopia, the League's actions were not strong enough.

At its biggest, the League had 58 member countries. However, the United States never joined, which made the League weaker. Other important countries like Japan, Germany, and Italy left the League in the 1930s. The Soviet Union joined late and was later kicked out.

The League struggled to stop powerful countries from attacking others in the 1930s. When World War II started in 1939, it became clear the League had failed its main purpose. It stopped most of its work until it was officially closed down in 1946. The United Nations (UN) took its place and took over many of the League's agencies.

Even though the League didn't stop World War II, it was still important. It helped create new ways for countries to work together. It made the idea of "collective security" stronger, where many countries protect each other. It also gave smaller nations a voice and helped with problems like diseases, slavery, and refugee crises. The League laid the groundwork for how international groups work today.

How the League Began

Early Ideas for Peace

The idea of countries working together for peace is not new. As early as 1795, a philosopher named Immanuel Kant suggested a "league of nations" to control fighting and promote peace. He imagined a world where each country respected its citizens and welcomed visitors.

In the 1800s, after the Napoleonic Wars, a group called the Concert of Europe tried to keep peace among European countries. Later, international laws were created, like the Geneva Conventions (about helping people in war) and the Hague Conventions (about rules of war and solving disputes peacefully).

A group called the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) was formed in 1889. It encouraged governments to solve problems peacefully. By 1914, many lawmakers from different countries were part of the IPU. Its structure, with a council and president, was similar to what the League would later have.

Planning for a New World Order

When World War I started, many people wanted to create an international group to prevent future wars. This idea became very popular in Britain and the United States. A British political scientist, Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson, even used the term "League of Nations" in 1914.

People believed that secret deals between countries had caused the war. They thought that if foreign policy was open to the public, war would be less likely.

In 1915, a peace conference in the United States called for new international groups to work for peace and disarmament. Women's groups also played a big role. The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) was formed, and its members met with leaders to push for a neutral group to mediate conflicts.

Another group, the League to Enforce Peace, was set up in the US. It suggested using arbitration (a way to settle disputes without fighting) and punishments for aggressive countries.

During World War I, leaders started thinking about what would happen after the war. British Prime Minister David Lloyd George and US President Woodrow Wilson both supported the idea of an international organization. Wilson included a "league of nations to ensure peace and justice" in his famous Fourteen Points in 1918.

The war had a huge impact on the world. Many empires fell, and people everywhere wanted to avoid another war. They thought wars were caused by things like arms races, secret alliances, and countries fighting for their own gain. A new international group was seen as the solution. It would promote disarmament, open diplomacy, and cooperation.

British and French officials worked on detailed plans for the League. The British suggested a "Conference of Allied States" to settle disputes and punish bad behavior. The French wanted annual meetings and even an "international army."

President Wilson's plan aimed to stop "unethical" country behavior. It suggested strong actions against countries that refused to cooperate, like blocking trade.

Two key people who helped create the League's rules were British politician Lord Robert Cecil and South African statesman Jan Smuts. Smuts suggested a council of powerful countries and a system for managing former colonies. Cecil focused on how the League would be run, suggesting regular meetings and a permanent staff.

The British were very active in setting up the League. They wanted to make economic and social relations between countries more organized. They also focused on helping ordinary people, including women, children, and families.

Setting Up the League

At the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, Wilson, Cecil, and Smuts presented their ideas. After many talks, they agreed to create the League of Nations on January 25, 1919. The final rules, or Covenant, were part of the Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28, 1919.

Women's rights groups also attended the Paris Conference. They pushed for women to be included in the League's work. They succeeded in getting women the right to serve as staff or delegates. They also got a rule that member nations should prevent the trafficking of women and children.

The League was designed with a General Assembly (for all members), an Executive Council (for major powers), and a permanent staff. Member countries promised to protect each other and reduce their weapons. They also had to try to solve problems peacefully before going to war. The League would create a Permanent Court of International Justice to make decisions on disputes.

Even though President Wilson worked hard for the League, the United States never joined. The US Senate voted against it in 1920. Some senators worried that joining would force the US into wars in Europe.

The League held its first meeting in Paris on January 16, 1920. On November 1, 1920, its main office moved to Geneva, Switzerland. Geneva was chosen because Switzerland had been neutral for a long time and was already home to the International Red Cross. Its strong democracy and central location made it a good choice. The League's first home in Geneva was the Palais Wilson, named after Woodrow Wilson.

What the League Aimed For

The League's rules were not always clear. Wilson wanted the League to replace old alliances and protect small countries. Other leaders, like Lloyd George, wanted a simpler way to keep peace.

The League was kept out of some big power decisions, like naval disarmament or the internal affairs of the British and French empires.

Even though the US didn't join, American observers and groups became more involved, especially in the 1930s. Groups like the Rockefeller Foundation gave money to help the League's staff become experts. This helped the League become more like a modern research group, providing deep analysis of international issues.

Languages and Symbols

The League of Nations had two official languages: French and English.

In 1939, the League got a semi-official symbol. It was a blue pentagon with two five-pointed stars. These stars represented the Earth's five continents and "five races." The symbol also had the League's name in English and French.

Who Was a Member?

Out of the 42 countries that started the League, 23 stayed members until it closed in 1946. Six more countries joined in the first year. Germany joined the League in 1926.

The most members the League ever had was 58, between September 1934 and February 1935. Egypt was the last country to join in 1937.

Some countries left the League early. Costa Rica left in 1925, and Brazil was the first founding member to leave in 1926. Argentina left for a while but rejoined later. Iraq, which had been a territory managed by the League, joined as a full member in 1932.

The Soviet Union became a member in 1934. However, it was kicked out in December 1939 after it invaded Finland.

How the League Was Organized

The League had three main parts: the Assembly, the Council, and the Permanent Secretariat. It also had two important groups: the Permanent Court of International Justice and the International Labour Organization. Many other smaller groups and committees also existed. Member countries paid for the League's budget.

The Assembly and the Council could both deal with any issue related to peace. To make decisions, both groups usually needed everyone to agree. This showed that the League believed in each country's independence. It wanted solutions that everyone agreed on, not forced ones.

The Permanent Secretariat was the League's staff, based in Geneva. It had experts in many areas like finance, health, and disarmament. They prepared meetings and published reports, acting like the League's civil service. By 1931, about 700 people worked there.

The Assembly included representatives from all member countries. Each country could have up to three representatives but only one vote. It met once a year in Geneva. The Assembly decided on new members, elected non-permanent members to the Council, and controlled the budget. It was the main guiding force for the League's activities.

The League Council was like the executive branch. It started with four permanent members: Great Britain, France, Italy, and Japan. It also had four non-permanent members chosen by the Assembly for three-year terms. The first non-permanent members were Belgium, Brazil, Greece, and Spain.

The number of non-permanent members grew over time. Germany became a permanent member in 1926. After Germany and Japan left, the number of non-permanent seats increased. The Soviet Union also became a permanent member. The Council met about five times a year.

Other Important Groups

The League also oversaw the Permanent Court of International Justice and many other agencies. These groups dealt with important global problems. Some of them included:

• The Disarmament Commission
• The International Labour Organization (ILO)
• The Mandates Commission (for former colonies)
• The International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation (which later led to UNESCO)
• The Commission for Refugees
• The Slavery Commission
• The Economic and Financial Organization

Three of these groups later became part of the United Nations: the ILO, the Permanent Court of International Justice (now the International Court of Justice), and the Health Organisation (now the World Health Organization).

The Permanent Court of International Justice was set up to hear and decide international disputes. Its judges were chosen by the Council and the Assembly. It could also give advice on disputes.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) was created in 1919. It worked to improve working conditions around the world. It had its own leaders and staff. The ILO successfully helped limit lead in paint and encouraged countries to adopt an eight-hour workday. It also fought against child labour and for women's rights at work. After the League ended, the ILO became a UN agency.

The League's Health Organisation worked to end diseases like leprosy, malaria, and yellow fever. It launched campaigns to get rid of mosquitoes. It also worked with the Soviet Union to prevent typhus outbreaks.

The League also focused on international intellectual cooperation. This included studying intellectual life, helping countries where intellectual life was at risk, and protecting intellectual property.

The Slavery Commission worked to end slavery and slave trading worldwide. It pushed governments to stop slavery in territories they managed. The League helped Ethiopia and Liberia abolish forced labor and slavery. It also helped reduce death rates for workers building the Tanganyika railway. The League kept records to track slavery and the trafficking of women and children.

The Commission for Refugees, led by Fridtjof Nansen, helped refugees after World War I. It helped 425,000 former prisoners of war return home. It also set up camps in Turkey to help with a refugee crisis and prevent diseases. The commission created the Nansen passport, which was the first international ID for people without a country.

The Committee for the Study of the Legal Status of Women looked into the status of women globally. It later became part of the United Nations.

The League also had an Economic and Financial Organisation. It worked to stabilize economies and finances, especially in Central Europe in the 1920s. It helped standardize international trade rules.

Mandates: Helping Former Colonies

After World War I, the Allied powers had to decide what to do with Germany's former colonies and parts of the Ottoman Empire. Many leaders wanted to take these territories for themselves. But US President Woodrow Wilson insisted that these areas should be helped to become self-governing and eventually independent.

So, the Paris Peace Conference created the "mandate system." Under this system, certain countries would manage these territories on behalf of the League. This plan was adopted on January 30, 1919.

League of Nations mandates were set up under Article 22 of the League's Covenant. The Permanent Mandates Commission watched over these territories. It also held votes in disputed areas so people could choose which country they wanted to join. There were three types of mandates: A, B, and C.

• A mandates were for parts of the old Ottoman Empire. These areas were seen as ready for independence, but needed help and advice from a managing country until they could stand alone.
• B mandates were for former German colonies. The managing country had to ensure freedom of religion and conscience, stop abuses like slave trade, and prevent military bases or training.
• C mandates were for areas like South West Africa and some Pacific Islands. These were small, remote, or had few people. They could be managed as part of the mandatory country's territory, but with protections for the local people.

Mandatory Powers

Seven countries became "mandatory powers" and governed these territories. They included the United Kingdom (for Mandatory Palestine), South Africa (for South-West Africa), France, Belgium, New Zealand, Australia, and Japan. Most of these territories gained independence after World War II.

Besides the mandates, the League itself governed the Territory of the Saar Basin for 15 years. After that, the people voted to rejoin Germany. The League also governed the Free City of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) until 1939.

Solving Land Disputes

After World War I, there were many disagreements about country borders. The League often handled the most difficult ones. In its early years, the League played a small role, but by the mid-1920s, it became central to international activity. Even non-members like the US and the Soviet Union started working with the League.

The Åland Islands Dispute

The Åland Islands are a group of islands between Sweden and Finland. Most people there speak Swedish, but the islands became part of Finland in 1809. In 1917, Finland became independent, and many Ålanders wanted to join Sweden. This caused a risk of war.

Britain asked the League to help. Finland first said it was an internal matter, but the League investigated. In June 1921, the League decided the islands would stay part of Finland. However, the islanders' rights were protected, and the islands were demilitarized (no military allowed). Sweden reluctantly agreed, making this the first European agreement made directly through the League.

Upper Silesia Conflict

The League also helped solve a land dispute between Poland and Germany over Upper Silesia. The Treaty of Versailles suggested a vote to decide if the area should be part of Germany or Poland. After a vote in 1921, 59.6% wanted to join Germany. But Poland claimed the vote was unfair, leading to fighting.

The League was asked to step in. A commission decided that Upper Silesia should be divided between Poland and Germany based on the vote. They also suggested that the two sides work out details for trade between the areas. In November 1921, Germany and Poland met in Geneva and agreed on a final settlement. Most of the area went to Germany, but Poland got most of the region's valuable resources and industry. This agreement brought peace to the area until World War II.

Albania's Borders

The borders of Albania were not set after the Paris Peace Conference. This caused problems in 1921. Greek troops were in southern Albania, and Yugoslav forces were in the north. The League sent a commission. In November 1921, the League decided Albania's borders should be mostly the same as in 1913, with small changes for Yugoslavia. Yugoslav forces then left.

In 1923, Albania's borders caused trouble again. An Italian general and his team were killed while marking the border between Greece and Albania. Italian leader Benito Mussolini was furious. He demanded Greece pay Italy 50 million Lire and sent warships to occupy the Greek island of Corfu.

This went against the League's rules, so Greece asked the League for help. The League examined the problem and passed its findings to another group, the Conference of Ambassadors. This group made the final decision, mostly following the League's advice. Greece had to pay Italy, even though the killers were never found. Italian forces then left Corfu.

Memel's Future

The port city of Memel (now Klaipėda) and its surrounding area, mostly German, was under temporary control after World War I. Lithuania wanted to take it, but France and Poland wanted it to be an international city. In 1923, Lithuanian forces invaded and took the port.

The Allies asked the League to help. The League decided to give Memel to Lithuania but with special self-governing rights. This was agreed in 1924. However, in 1939, Germany took the region back after threatening war. The League could not stop this.

Mosul Dispute

The League also solved a dispute between Iraq and Turkey over the region of Mosul in 1926. Britain, which managed Iraq, said Mosul belonged to Iraq. Turkey claimed it as part of its historic land.

A League commission visited the region and found that the people of Mosul preferred to be part of Iraq. In 1925, the commission suggested Mosul stay with Iraq, but only if Britain continued to manage Iraq for another 25 years to protect the rights of the Kurdish population. The League Council agreed. Turkey did not like the decision, but a separate treaty in 1926 mostly followed the League's decision, giving Mosul to Iraq.

Vilnius Conflict

After World War I, Poland and Lithuania both became independent but argued over land. Lithuania signed a treaty with Russia that gave it control of Vilnius, an old Lithuanian capital, but with many Polish people. This led to tension.

In 1920, the League helped arrange a ceasefire. But a Polish general took Vilnius. The League asked Poland to leave, but Poland sent more troops. The League then suggested a vote by the people of Vilnius and an international force to replace Polish troops. This plan was rejected by Poland, Lithuania, and Russia.

In 1922, Poland officially took Vilnius. Lithuania refused to accept this decision and remained in a state of war with Poland until 1927. It was not until 1938 that Lithuania accepted the borders.

Colombia and Peru Border Dispute

There were several border conflicts between Colombia and Peru. In 1922, they signed a treaty to solve them. This treaty gave the town of Leticia to Colombia, giving Colombia access to the Amazon River. In 1932, Peruvian business leaders took over Leticia by force. This led to fighting between the two countries.

After talks, both governments accepted the League's help. In May 1933, they signed a peace agreement. The League took control of the area while they talked. In May 1934, a final peace agreement was signed. Leticia was returned to Colombia, Peru apologized, and the area around Leticia was demilitarized.

Saar Region Vote

The Saar was a region placed under League control by the Treaty of Versailles. After 15 years, a vote was held to decide if it should join Germany or France. In 1935, 90.3% of voters chose to become part of Germany. The League Council quickly approved this.

Other Conflicts the League Faced

The League also tried to help with other conflicts and problems within countries. One success was helping refugees, especially in Turkey. In 1922, it created the Nansen passport, the first international ID for refugees without a country.

Greece and Bulgaria Border Incident

In October 1925, fighting started between Greece and Bulgaria after a border incident. Greek troops invaded Bulgaria. The Bulgarian government told its troops to resist only a little and evacuated people, trusting the League to solve the problem. The League condemned Greece's invasion and demanded Greek troops leave and pay Bulgaria.

Liberia's Forced Labor Issues

After reports of forced labor on a large American rubber plantation and accusations of slave trading, the government of Liberia asked the League to investigate. A report in 1930 confirmed slavery and forced labor. It suggested that some government officials involved should be replaced. This led to the Liberian president and vice-president resigning. Liberia then outlawed forced labor and slavery.

The Mukden Incident (Manchuria)

The Mukden Incident, also called the "Manchurian Incident," was a big problem for the League. It showed that major members were unwilling to stop Japanese aggression. Japan later left the League.

In September 1931, a part of the railway in Manchuria, China, was slightly damaged. The Japanese army used this as an excuse to invade Manchuria. They claimed Chinese soldiers had sabotaged the railway. The Japanese army occupied all of Manchuria and renamed it Manchukuo. They set up a puppet government there.

The League sent observers. A report a year later said Japan was the aggressor and that Manchuria should be returned to China. The League Assembly voted 42-1 against Japan. But instead of leaving China, Japan left the League. This showed that the idea of countries working together to stop aggression was not working.

Chaco War (Bolivia and Paraguay)

The League failed to stop the war between Bolivia and Paraguay in 1932 over the dry Gran Chaco region. This area was important because it had a river that could give both landlocked countries access to the Atlantic Ocean. There was also a belief that the Chaco had oil.

Fighting started in 1932. Paraguay asked the League for help, but the League did not act when another group offered to mediate. The war was terrible for both sides, causing many deaths and economic problems. By the time a ceasefire was reached in 1935, Paraguay controlled most of the region.

Italian Invasion of Abyssinia

In October 1935, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini sent 400,000 troops to invade Abyssinia (Ethiopia). Italian forces used chemical weapons and poisoned water supplies. The modern Italian army defeated the poorly armed Abyssinians. They captured Addis Ababa in May 1936, forcing Emperor Haile Selassie to flee.

The League of Nations said Italy was wrong and put economic punishments on Italy in November 1935. But these punishments were not very effective. They did not stop the sale of oil or close the Suez Canal, which Britain controlled. Britain and France were worried about making Mussolini angry and pushing him towards Adolf Hitler. The League's punishments were lifted in July 1936.

In June 1936, Emperor Haile Selassie spoke to the League, asking for help. The Abyssinian crisis showed that the League could be influenced by what its powerful members wanted for themselves.

Spanish Civil War

In July 1936, the Spanish Army started a rebellion, leading to the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish government asked the League for weapons to defend itself. But the League members decided not to get involved in the war or stop other countries from getting involved.

Adolf Hitler and Mussolini helped the rebels, while the Soviet Union helped the Spanish government. In February 1937, the League banned foreign volunteers, but this was mostly a symbolic act. The rebels won in 1939, confirming that the League was not effective in big conflicts.

Second Sino-Japanese War

After many smaller conflicts, Japan began a full invasion of China on July 7, 1937. China asked the League for international help. Western countries felt bad for China, especially during the Battle of Shanghai. But the League could not offer any real help. It passed the case to another conference.

Soviet Invasion of Finland

In November 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Finland. For the first time, the League of Nations kicked out a member country for breaking its rules. This happened on December 14, 1939. The Soviet Union was the only League member ever to be expelled.

Failure to Reduce Weapons

Article 8 of the League's Covenant said the League should help countries reduce their weapons to a safe level. However, this was a major failure for the League. Powerful countries did not trust the disarmament efforts.

Some Small Wins

The League did have some small successes. In 1925, it held a conference to control the international trade of weapons. It also started collecting information on weapons worldwide. Most importantly, in 1925, it passed the Geneva Protocol, which banned poison gas in war. This showed strong global support, even though the United States did not agree to it until much later.

Big Failures

The League had many failures in disarmament. In 1921, it set up a commission to explore ways to disarm. Its members rarely agreed. Ideas ranged from banning chemical warfare to limiting tanks.

1923 Draft Treaty of Mutual Assistance

This was a plan in 1923 to make aggressive war illegal and force member states to defend victims of aggression. But Great Britain rejected it in 1924. Britain worried that this promise would strain its ability to manage its empire.

Geneva Protocol of 1924

Another plan in 1924 suggested compulsory arbitration for disputes and a way to identify the aggressor in conflicts. It called for a disarmament conference. Any country that refused to follow the rules would be named an aggressor and would get immediate help from League members.

British leaders worried this plan would cause conflict with the United States, which also opposed it. The plan was put aside in 1925 and never brought back.

World Disarmament Conference

The World Disarmament Conference was held by the League in Geneva in 1932, with representatives from 60 countries. It was a failure. Countries had different ideas. France was worried about reducing its weapons without a guarantee of military help if attacked. Poland and Czechoslovakia also felt unsafe from Germany.

Fear of attack grew as Germany became stronger, especially after Adolf Hitler became leader in 1933. Germany's attempts to undo the Treaty of Versailles and rebuild its military made France even less willing to disarm.

The conference proposed a one-year pause on increasing weapons, but no final agreement was reached. The commission failed to stop the military buildup by Germany, Italy, Spain, and Japan in the 1930s.

Helpless Before World War II

The League was mostly silent during major events leading to World War II. These included Hitler's actions like rebuilding the military in the Rhineland, taking over the Sudetenland, and joining with Austria. These actions were forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles. In fact, League members themselves started re-arming.

In 1933, Japan simply left the League rather than accept its judgment. Germany left the same year. Italy left in 1937, and Spain in 1939. The League's last important act was to expel the Soviet Union in December 1939 after it invaded Finland.

Why the League Failed

World War II showed that the League had failed its main goal: preventing another world war. There were many reasons for this failure, often linked to weaknesses within the organization itself. The League's power was also limited because the United States refused to join.

Its Beginnings and Structure

The League was created by the Allied powers after World War I. This made it seem like a "League of Victors." Its neutrality often turned into being unable to make decisions. To pass a resolution, all nine (later fifteen) Council members had to agree. This made strong action very difficult. Decisions were also slow because some needed everyone in the Assembly to agree. This problem came from the fact that powerful members did not want other countries deciding their fate.

Not All Countries Joined

Having all countries represented was often a problem. Many countries never joined, or their membership was short. The biggest absence was the United States. President Woodrow Wilson was a main force behind the League, but the US Senate voted not to join in 1919. Some historians believe that if the US had joined, it might have made France and Britain feel more secure, possibly preventing the rise of the Nazi Party. However, others argue that the US's unwillingness to go to war or use economic punishments might have still limited the League.

When the League started in 1920, Germany was not allowed to join because it was seen as the aggressor in World War I. Soviet Russia was also excluded at first. The League became even weaker when major powers left in the 1930s. Japan, a permanent member, left in 1933 after the League opposed its actions in Manchuria. Italy, also a permanent member, left in 1937 after the League opposed its invasion of Ethiopia. Spain left in 1939. Germany was accepted in 1926 but left in 1933 after Adolf Hitler came to power.

Collective Security Challenges

Another weakness was the conflict between the idea of collective security and how individual countries acted. Collective security meant that countries might have to act against friends or against their own interests to help other countries. This problem was clear during the Abyssinia Crisis. Britain and France had to choose between protecting their own security in Europe (where Italy's support was important) and their duties to Abyssinia as a League member.

In 1936, after the League failed to stop Italy's war against Abyssinia, British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin said that collective security had failed. He explained that almost no country in Europe was ready for military action. He said that for collective action to work, every country must be ready for war immediately.

Ultimately, Britain and France gave up on collective security. They chose to try to avoid conflict by giving in to Hitler's demands, a policy known as appeasement.

An American historian, Samuel Flagg Bemis, who first supported the League, later changed his mind. He said the League failed because powerful countries were unwilling to use punishments unless it suited their own interests.

Pacifism, Disarmament, and Radio

The League of Nations did not have its own army. It depended on powerful countries to enforce its decisions, but these countries were very unwilling to do so. Britain and France, its two most important members, did not want to use punishments or military action. After World War I, many people and governments in these countries strongly believed in pacifism (opposing war).

The League also pushed for its members to disarm. But at the same time, it promoted collective security. This meant the League was taking away the only strong way it could enforce its authority.

The League tried to create rules for radio broadcasts to promote peace. The 1936 Convention on the Use of Broadcasting in the Cause of Peace encouraged friendly radio messages between nations. It called for the League to ban international broadcasts with hostile speech or false claims. However, with Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia using radio for their own purposes, these goals were ignored.

End of the League and Its Legacy

As the situation in Europe led to war, the League's Assembly gave enough power to its Secretary General to keep the League legally alive and running with fewer operations. The League's headquarters, the Palace of Nations, remained empty for almost six years during World War II.

At the Tehran Conference in 1943, the Allied powers agreed to create a new group to replace the League: the United Nations. Many of the League's groups, like the International Labour Organization, kept working and later joined the UN. The UN was designed to be more effective than the League.

The last meeting of the League of Nations was held on April 18, 1946, in Geneva. Delegates from 34 countries attended. This meeting was about closing down the League. It transferred its assets, including the Palace of Nations and its historical records, to the UN. It also returned money to member countries and settled its debts.

Lord Robert Cecil, speaking at the final session, said that aggression is an international crime. He stated that every peace-loving country should fight it. He believed the UN's rules, like the League's, were enough to keep peace if used correctly. He ended by saying, "The League is dead. Long live the United Nations."

The Assembly passed a resolution that the League of Nations would stop existing on April 19, 1946, except for closing its affairs. A group of nine people oversaw the transfer of the League's assets and duties to the United Nations. This group finished its work on July 31, 1947. The League's historical records are now at the United Nations Office at Geneva and are part of UNESCO's Memory of the World Register.

Historians have studied the League's legacy. They now agree that even though the League failed to achieve world peace, it did build new ways to expand the rule of law globally. It strengthened the idea of collective security and gave smaller nations a voice. It also helped raise awareness about problems like diseases, slavery, child labor, and refugee crises through its many commissions. The League also paved the way for new forms of statehood through its mandate system, which put colonial powers under international observation.

The main Allied powers in World War II (the UK, the USSR, France, the US, and China) became permanent members of the United Nations Security Council in 1946. Decisions by the Security Council are binding on all UN members, and they do not need everyone to agree, unlike in the League Council. Only the five permanent members of the Security Council can use a veto to protect their important interests.

League of Nations Archives

The League of Nations archives are a collection of the League's records and documents. They include about 15 million pages from 1919 to 1946. They are kept at the United Nations Office at Geneva. In 2017, a project began to preserve, digitize, and provide online access to these archives. It was finished in 2022.

Images for kids

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  The 1864 Geneva Convention, one of the earliest formulations of written international law

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  Lord Bryce, one of the earliest advocates for a League of Nations

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  Jan Smuts helped to draft the Covenant of the League of Nations.

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  The League to Enforce Peace published this full-page promotion in The New York Times on Christmas Day 1918. It resolved that the League "should ensure peace by eliminating causes of dissension, by deciding controversies by peaceable means, and by uniting the potential force of all the members as a standing menace against any nation that seeks to upset the peace of the world".

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  On his December 1918 trip to Europe, Woodrow Wilson gave speeches that "reaffirmed that the making of peace and the creation of a League of Nations must be accomplished as one single objective".

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  During the creation phase in 1919–1920, the League's staff was temporarily established in London, at 117 Piccadilly

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  Sunderland House (later known as Lombard House, on Curzon Street)

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  Participants of the Inter-Allied Women's Conference, 1919, "They got Equality for Women in the League of Nations"

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  The first meeting of the Council took place on 16 January 1920 in the Salle de l'Horloge at the Quai d'Orsay in Paris.

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  The first meeting of the Assembly took place on 15 November 1920 at the Reformation Hall in Geneva.

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  In 1924, the headquarters of the League in Geneva (formerly Hôtel National) was named "Palais Wilson" after Woodrow Wilson, credited as the "Founder of the League of Nations"

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  The Palace of Nations, Geneva, the League's headquarters from 1936 until its dissolution in 1946