Failures Of The League Of Nations

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When people make decisions in life, they are often blinded by all the positive outcomes leading them to forget to consider all the consequences if things do not work out as planned. In 1919 at the Paris Peace Conference, Woodrow Wilson established the League of Nations seeking disarmament for all. The main aims of the League were to prevent another devastating world war through collective security, settle international disputes peacefully and improve health and working conditions around the world. He also planned that the League of Nations would encourage and enforce the Treaty of Versailles. The good intentions of the League of Nations were not guaranteed to bring order since it had many weaknesses. It’s downfall can be attributed to …show more content…
The Council of the League of Nations only met four times a year and decisions had to be made unanimous because its members could not agree. During early 1930s, the League of Nations encountered two main events that proved its inability to stop wars. The Manchurian crisis took two years to discuss with Japan. The Japanese invaded Manchuria since it was a source of much of Japans imported natural resources like iron ore and coal. The Chinese appealed to the League of Nations asking the Japanese to leave. The League of Nations passed a resolution saying that Japanese rejected the League of Nations resolution and insisted on direct negotiations with the Chinese Government. However, the negotiation had failed and Japan disobeyed the League’s order. On February 1932, Japan (who at the time was a member of the League) successfully conquered and captured Manchuria. It took nearly two years for the League to send a commission and declare that Japan ought to leave. The League could not send an army, and it needed America 's support to impose sanctions successfully. The Japanese simply walked out of the League of Nations and never returned. In the end, the League did nothing. The Abyssinian crisis was another significant event that broke people’s faith in the League. It displayed the League’s powerlessness authority over its members. Additionally, Mussolini wanted to invade Abyssinia in desire of war and glory. The Abyssinian emperor Haile Selassie asked the League for help. The League talked to Mussolini, but he ignored the League and used the time to send an army to Africa. The League banned weapons sales, and put sanctions on rubber and metal to ban arms sales, which harmed Abyssinia more than Italy. The League advised to offer Italy part of Abyssinia, but Italy conquered Abyssinia regardless of the commission. Far from stopping Italy, Britain and France tried

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