2. The year is 1914
The world is embroiled in conflict: THE GREAT WAR
The war is settled in 1918 by the ttreaty of versailles
The american president Wilson has a special
contribution to make: The inclusion of his “fourteen
points”
Point #14: “We shall create a group of
nations that will preserve the World´s
peace!”
3. The league of nations came into being in
1919.
It was headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
The official lenguages of the league
were English, French and Spanish.
Its members could never settle on designs
for a logo or flag. The closest they ever
came was with a semi-logo:
This would set the tone for everything The
League would ever do.
There were four permanent members: Great
Britain, France, Italy and Japan.
4. 58 other members dropped in and out during The League´s 27-year
lifespan.
The United States never joined… Many of these were former colonies of
German and The Ottoman Empire. They were into The League´s care by a
series of mandates
The League had a number
of goals:
To preven future conflicts that would be as devasting as
the great war, to desarm the world, to enforce the
conditions of the treaty of Versailles and to better
humanity such as the improvement of health, safety and
the abolishment of slavery
5. The league was comprised of three major
organs:
# 1. The secretariat:This organ was responsable for all The league´s administrative work.
It was responsible for paperwork, and for other elements that kept The League
organized.
# 2. The League Council: This was a special group of nations that met several times per
year (usually five). Although its membership was in constant flux, England, France, Italy
and Japan remained constant. The duty of The League Council was to direct the actions
of the assembly.
# 3. The Assembly: This was where the all of The League´s decisions were made. These
decisions had to be unanimous
The League of Nations also hosted several smaller agencies: The International Labour
Organization, The Commision for Refugees, The Permanet Court of Justice and The
Permanent Central Opium Board were some of these.
The League´s power to solve conflicts was limited at best:
1. It would call the nations together to discuss the problem peacefully.
2. If the offender refused the decision, The League would pose economic
sanctions.
3. Failing all else, The League would introduce military enforcement
6. But why does The League of Nations Not exist today?
The League was designed to prevent countries like Germany from inciting conflict. However, The League
was all bark and No bite.
The League of Nations had no real power. All it could do was talk. Without a military, it couldn´t enforce its
own sanctions. Britain and France did not have enough power to maintain peace by themselves.
America´s refusal to join substantially weakened The League.
The League was an inefficient and disorganized entity. All decisions had to be unanimous, there by making
it difficult to get things done.
The 1930s brought an economic meltdown to the world.
The countries involved in The League became more concerned with their own welfare than that of other
nations.
Repeated failures to do anything of note undermined the world´s faith in it.
The nations involved in The League rarely got along.
The League marginalized countries such as Russia and Germany by excluding them.
Countries who were left out would be less inclined to adhere to The League´s demands.
All in all, The League of Nations never really met any of its goals. One of its most important aims was the
prevention of another war. It failed…
