The League of Nations was created after the end of World War I. The fourteen-point program of President Wilson included the creation of a world organization to prevent any future wars.
Aims and objectives of the League of Nations
- All nations were prohibited from entering any secret treaties and alliances.
- All nations had to respect each other’s independence.
- Nations should solve disputes among each other by referring the disputes to the League.
- Member nations had to take steps against the aggressive country which tried to disturb world peace.
The League was supposed to promote cultural, social, and economic cooperation among the member nations. The League however had some limitations too. Germany and the Soviet Union were not made members of the League. The USA also did not join the League.
Failure of the League of Nations
- The League was created after the First World War to prevent future wars. USA refused to join the League, and the powerful member nations followed the policy of appeasement and were not interested in maintaining the principle of collective responsibility.
- The terms of the Treaty of Versailles created discontent in Germany and Italy. The league took no action against the offending countries when Poland seized a part of Lithuania in 1920 ,Japan captured Manchuria (China) in 1931 ,Italy annexed Ethiopia (Africa) in 1936.
- As a result, many small nations lost faith in the League, and they entered alliances with other countries to protect their interests.
- The rise of dictatorship in Germany and Italy weakened the League, which ultimately came to an end with the beginning of the World War II.
However, the League was not able to prevent the outbreak of World War II. World War II broke out in 1939. The damage and destruction caused by this war surpassed all other wars. The leaders realized the need to establish a powerful organization that could play an important role in preventing wars and maintaining peace and security.