League+of+Nations-->+Unsuitable+for+Europe+in+the+1920's?

  http://eh.lenin.ru/flags/7or/un/xln-f.gif  After the First World War, which devastated far more heavily than it helped, a new group was formed: the League of Nations. The members of the League were prepared to work together in order to accomplish their goal of ending all wars. However, the continent of Europe may have not been ready for such a drastic change. Though the quest for peace was welcomed in Europe, the principles upon which the League of Nations was based were unsuitable for the political and economic realities of the 1920’s. The goal of ending all wars was unrealistic. Throughout history, wars, despite their unfavorable consequences, were the go-to deciding factor for most disputes between countries and even within a country. Each time a war broke out following its formation, the League of Nations was faulted. In many instances, such as Italy, Teschen, Vilna, the war between Russia and Poland, the Ruhr Invasion, and the Abyssinia Crisis, the League of Nations was blamed for not preventing the crises [i]. “The League of Nations was the most ambitious and idealistic outcome of the peace treaties… It had little chance of success, as many of the major powers were not members and the concept of collective security was too abstract and idealistic for countries raised in a tradition of self interest and traditional diplomacy [ii] .” The fact that wars were considered “inevitable” in many cases should have shown that this radical change in approach would be difficult. Disputes were most often settled through violence, but the League had different ideas in mind: “The League was to be a permanent international body in which all nations would meet, discuss and settle disputes in a peaceful manner [iii] .” Its failures to prevent wars undermined its stature. In the 1920’s, Europe was not economically stable enough to support this venture. Nor were the politics ready: “Western European politics tended to be conservative, as was the business outlook. But drastic changes had taken place that made such an attitude unrealistic [iv], “When we turn our attention to European culture after the war we are struck by… this sense of despair, bitterness and anxiety [v] .” The League was inspired by the tragedies of World War One, which was responsible for many of the countries remaining economically unstable into the 1920’s. “Money and manpower would have to be sacrificed in defense of a principle and not of vital interests as had been the case in the past [vi] .” Were countries ready to hand out their own money to help other countries? Most were definitely not willing, or even able, to do this, particularly during difficult economic times. “The key was Article X, which stated that ‘all members undertake to respect and preserve as against external aggression the territorial integrity and political independence of all members of the League [vii] .” Most of the countries were not sufficiently politically stable to provide strength for the League: “Europe's fringes -- north, south, west -- … continued their wartime industrialization into peacetime despite aftershocks in the form of high inflation and occasional political turmoils [viii] .” Despite support for the idealistic concept, the League was doomed to fail by its lack of power. It had no real authority to settle disputes and the participants lacked the resources and will to intervene with armed force. Further there was little consensus as to appropriate action. The League was weakened by the absence of some very strong powers, due to the fact that they were not invited to join the League after they lost in WWI. This meant great nations such as Germany and Russia were not asked to join. With the help of these countries, the League would have had much more power to follow through with their objectives, along with the prestige these countries would have provided. Also, the United States, which had originally proposed the group, did not even become a member of the League of Nations. Due to a lack of any real power, the League was not able to enforce any of its ideas. On the other hand, though, the idea of permanent peace was welcomed everywhere. “Many countries and individuals were convinced that a new approach in international relations was necessary if the world were to avoid total destruction in the future [ix] .” The entire world had just suffered from World War One, and United States President Woodrow Wilson saw a need for the League of Nations, which he put in his Fourteen Points. The idea of not having to train forces, and not having to worry about losing fathers, brothers, and husbands as soldiers was appealing. Yet, as war often proves to be inevitable in many cases, the lasting peace was not bound to last—nor was the union. The organization was broken up on April 18, 1946: “The members of the Assembly of the League of Nations voted to dissolve the organization and transfer its property and assets to the United Nations. This marked the end of the post-World War I experiment in collective security and the advent of the new order under the United Nations [x]. The League of Nations was a desirable idea for most of the world, yet with hindsight, it can be seen that it was doomed from the beginning. Ultimately, the League failed; it was not able to achieve its goal due to unrealistic goals, weak economies, and a lack of power. The aspiration of ending all wars remains unrealistic today, but organizations such as the United Nations are working toward it. As for permanent peace, a worldwide effort was needed, but not fulfilled.
 * 12. How far do you agree that the principles upon which the League of Nations was based were unsuitable for the political and economic realities of the 1920’s? **

[i] "Background." //History Learning Site//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. . [ii] Cannon et al. //20th Century World History: Course Companion//. Oxford: Oxford U. , 2009. Print. p. 52. [iii] Ibid. p. 52. [iv] "Disorder: Europe in the 1920's." //Britannia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2009. . [v] "The Age of Anxiety: Europe in the 1920s (1)." //The History Guide: Lectures on// //Twentieth Century Europe//. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2009. . [vi] //20th Century World History: Course Companion//. P. 53. [vii] Ibid. p. 52. [viii] "Europe in the 1920's." //AHTG//. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2009. . [ix] //20th Century World History: Course Companion//. p. 52. [x] "League of Nations Timeline." //Indiana//. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2009. .

[] List of Sources

“The Age of Anxiety: Europe in the 1920s (1).” //The History Guide: Lectures on Twentieth Century Europe//. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2009. <http://www.historyguide.org/<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">‌ europe/<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">‌ lecture8.html>. “Background.” //History Learning Site//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">‌ leagueofnations.htm>. Cannon et al. //20th Century World History: Course Companion//. Oxford: Oxford U., 2009. Print. “Disorder: Europe in the 1920’s.” //Britannia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2009. <http://www.britannia.com/<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">‌ history/<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">‌ euro/<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">‌ 3/<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">‌ 1_1.html>. “Europe in the 1920’s.” //AHTG//. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2009. <http://www.ahtg.net/<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">‌ TpA/<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">‌ europe20.html>. “League of Nations Timeline.” //Indiana//. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2009. <http://www.indiana.edu/<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">‌ ~league/<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">‌ timeline.htm>.