Explanation:
The League of Nations was formed in 1919 to encourage the member countries to cooperate in trade, improve social conditions, complete disarmament and to protect any
member country that was being threatened with war. The League of Nations was the
initial idea of Woodrow Wilson, the president of the USA, and was formed to make
sure such world atrocities like the First World War never happened again. However,
we know that a Second World War with even greater loss of life took place, and
therefore most people conclude that the League of Nations failed. But why did the
League fail?
The League of Nations had many 'design' weaknesses; with probably the most
important and noticeable weakness was the absence of the USA. It was a great shock
and disappointment for the rest of the world when the American people voted for a
'policy of isolation', and despite the campaigning of Woodrow Wilson, decided not to
join the League of Nations. This can be considered a great weakness because the
USA was becoming the most powerful and influential country in the world, and
therefore the League would probably be unwilling to make a decision which would go
against the USA, and it would also mean that a country inside the League, who had
trade sanctions placed upon them would still be free to trade with the USA.
The League of Nations also seemed to have a weakness in not accepting Germany in
the League when it was first formed. This gave the impression that the League was
for the 'winners' of WWI, with Britain and France part of the inner council, and kept
the German people bitter and still wanting revenge.
Another weakness of the League was that it did not have an army of its own, and that
if it wanted an army to stand up to a troublesome country, it must raise an army from
member countries. This became ineffective, as many member countries were very
unwilling to raise an army and physically challenge a country, as they were afraid that
it would effect their own self-interests, as we'll see later in the Manchurian and the
Abyssinian crisis'.
Despite all these weaknesses, the League did have some success in the 1920's. The
League had successfully sorted out a disagreement between Finland and Sweden over
the Aaland Islands; between Germany and Poland over Upper Silesia, and between
Greece and Bulgaria. Apart from international disputes, some of the League's
greatest successes came in its work in the 'International Labour Organisation', in
which they got member countries to agree to things such as the '8 hour maximum
working day' and that there should be 'No-one to be in full time employment under 15
years of age'. However, the League did have failures in the 1920's, such as Vilna and
Corfu, and failed in its aim to achieve disarmament.
The small holes in the League became gaping ones after its downright failure to do
anything significant in the two main 'crisis'' of the early 1930's: The invasion of
Manchuria by Japan in '31 and the invasion of Abysinnia by the Italians in '35.
