By the end of World War I, anti-war sentiment had arisen across the world, as people

grew tired of the physical and emotional repercussions of war. As the possible causes of the
war were investigated and the Paris Peace Conference was held, Woodrow Wilson, president of
the United States at the time, proposed that an international organization of nations be
established to prevent future wars. Thus, the League of Nations was born. When it was
founded, the League had 42 member nations, including the British Empire, France, Italy, and
Spain. The League of nations primarily attempted to keep peace by negotiating agreements or
treaties, imposing weapon sanctions on the nations involved, and providing collective security.
It also was involved in issues such as drug trafficking, prisoners of war, and global health, much
like what the UN does today. In effect, the League was centered towards establishing peace
throughout the world, yet some countries were barred from joining until years after it was
formed: Germany, who fought the most in World War I, wasnt allowed to join until 1926, and the
USSR wasnt brought in until 1934. After World War II ended in 1946, the League of Nations
was disbanded and the United Nations took its place.
To an extent, the League of nations was of help in many ways, and had great success in
its early years. For example, it was able to settle two disputes in 1921, one involving a land
dispute between Germany and Poland. In 1923, the league provided humanitarian support to
over 1,000,000 refugees displaced by a war in Turkey. They sent doctors to stop the spread of
diseases, and established farms and homes for them. The League of Nations was also
successful in stopping a war between Greece and Bulgaria, and determined who was at fault for
the incident. However, these actions taken are paltry in comparison to the lack of action taken
in so many different incidents. Soon after the League was created, Italian nationalists captured
a port given to Yugoslavia after the war, yet the League did nothing to help. Instead, the Italian
government had to deal with the situation on its own. A year after, in 1920, Poland invaded and
claimed part of Russia, taking nearly 80,000 square kilometers of Russian land. The League,
however, made no movement to stop Poland, as Russia was feared by Western Europe at the

time. In fact, Britain, France, and the United States all sent troops to attack Russia, yet the
League still did nothing. However, the Leagues biggest failure was the outbreak of World War
II and the lack of disarmament preceding the war.
Although the League of Nations had great intentions, it scarcely delivered. What few
victories that were achieved were able to be accomplished only because they were of little
political or economic importance; once any real money was involved, the League was pushed
aside by the pursuit of such. The League just wasnt taken seriously. From the start, the
Leagues authority was severely diminished by the United States refusal to join, as they were
one of the superpowers at the time. Furthermore, any country that joined the League was under
no legal obligation to provide military support it therefore had to rely on the main powers,
Britain and France, to enforce what the league decided. As a result, the League of Nations was
gutted of power and authority, and therefore was incapable of taking on any important concerns.
Perhaps the only major effect the League of Nations had on the world was its fading into the
United Nations. In any case, it utterly failed its goals of maintaining peace, and became the
epitome of a good idea implemented terribly wrong.

Well done
Exploration 10/10
Analysis 10/10
Argumentation 10/10
Language 5/5

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