Edward White White 1
Section 09
International Relations
November 09, 2015
The League of Nations was set up in 1919 so that the horrors of World War I would never happen again. Collective security would be in the hands of liberal, democratic states that would be able to check rising powers before they upset the international system. With that in mind, why and how did states like Ethiopia, Manchuria, and Czechoslovakia fall to expansionist authoritarian powers? There were many factors that led to the outbreak of World War II. The shortcomings of the League of Nations certainly added to the problem. The primary problem with the League of Nations was that it was essentially a group …show more content…
It relied on the powerful members, primarily Britain and France, to carry out its decisions. When the League condemned Japan for its actions in Manchuria, it meant nothing unless Britain and France also condemned Japan’s actions. However, with the realist way of thinking being the norm, Britain and France did not intervene in Manchuria. They had nothing to gain from taking action in Manchuria and did not want to use any of their own resources for an event that did not affect them. Therefore, the League’s threats to Japan were empty since the League had no actual power to enforce anything. Japan remained in control of Manchuria until the end of World War …show more content…
Realism is not always negative, but when working towards collective global security, realism tends to intervene. European nations were still in a mindset of looking out for themselves after World War I. This prevented them from using the League as a resource for true global security. Instead, they used it as a tool for their own national security. If the major powers had fully endorsed the league when dealing with the axis powers before the outbreak of the Second World War, then that conflict would have been avoidable. Instead, they allowed the axis powers to gain resources and expand for their own national interests. Ironically, acting in their own self-interests led to the huge compromise of European security that was World War II. One major positive factor that came from the League of Nations was
Section 09
International Relations
November 09, 2015
The League of Nations was set up in 1919 so that the horrors of World War I would never happen again. Collective security would be in the hands of liberal, democratic states that would be able to check rising powers before they upset the international system. With that in mind, why and how did states like Ethiopia, Manchuria, and Czechoslovakia fall to expansionist authoritarian powers? There were many factors that led to the outbreak of World War II. The shortcomings of the League of Nations certainly added to the problem. The primary problem with the League of Nations was that it was essentially a group …show more content…
It relied on the powerful members, primarily Britain and France, to carry out its decisions. When the League condemned Japan for its actions in Manchuria, it meant nothing unless Britain and France also condemned Japan’s actions. However, with the realist way of thinking being the norm, Britain and France did not intervene in Manchuria. They had nothing to gain from taking action in Manchuria and did not want to use any of their own resources for an event that did not affect them. Therefore, the League’s threats to Japan were empty since the League had no actual power to enforce anything. Japan remained in control of Manchuria until the end of World War …show more content…
Realism is not always negative, but when working towards collective global security, realism tends to intervene. European nations were still in a mindset of looking out for themselves after World War I. This prevented them from using the League as a resource for true global security. Instead, they used it as a tool for their own national security. If the major powers had fully endorsed the league when dealing with the axis powers before the outbreak of the Second World War, then that conflict would have been avoidable. Instead, they allowed the axis powers to gain resources and expand for their own national interests. Ironically, acting in their own self-interests led to the huge compromise of European security that was World War II. One major positive factor that came from the League of Nations was