To date, there has not been a war that rivaled the overwhelming destruction and fatalities of World War I. Earning the title, The Great War, World War I saw the demise of millions of soldiers and civilians in muddy trenches and on bloody battlefields as countless thousands of people were left with life altering injuries. Countries were torn apart and Europe was left in shambles. Though, above all the misery and pain there was an overwhelming sense of victory that permeated through the Allied Forces. November 11, 1918 saw the beginning of a new future with the signing of a ceasefire that declared peace had been achieved. With the onslaught of World War I officially over, the world could finally settle back into a regime of harmony and prosperity. Yet, how was the world to pull itself back together and trudge on? Britain, France and Germany were so badly obliterated; the map of Europe had been redrawn. Moreover, the world saw the end of the age of empires as powerless, brand new independent countries began to emerge all over Europe. Amidst all this chaos, there had to be a group ready to accomplish what had never been done before: world solidarity. The League of Nations stepped up to this challenge and on January 20, 1920 set itself to work. Sadly, for all the good the League of Nations accomplished, their numerous failures eventually lead to their downfall. Dejectedly, the lack of American involvement in the League of Nations, the inability to maintain set aims and the League’s lack of armed forces, made the League of Nations what it tries to prevent: a disaster. To commence, although the initial conception of the League of Nations is, in actuality, American (created by Woodrow Wilson), America did not participate in the League (Heater 19). Of all the crucial errors the League would inevitably participate in, the exclusion of the United States will prove to be their most fatal. Due to the fact the United States did not join the League of Nations, a considerable ally, as well as a powerful political power, is missing form the League of Nations (Heater 19-20). After the Great War, the economy of Europe is brittle and in dire need of outside assistance (Sauvain 43). As one would expect, countries begin to act in their own self-interest to preserve the future of their individual nation (Sauvain 43). However, the United States is the only country involved in the Great War, to emerge politically, economically and militarily superior and unscathed (Ambrosius 10). Seeing as how the United States is the only nation that reaps the benefits of the battle and comes out wealthier as a result of the war, Europe relies heavily on the enforced German reparations and American trade and funding to rebuild its shattered continent (Sauvain 38). Woodrow Wilson, seeing the strain that Europe is undergoing, seeks to institute a course of action that will prevent further struggles such as the Great War from ever coming about again (Sauvain 40-41). As early as 1916, Wilson’s proposal for a group of super-powered nations that will upkeep worldwide prosperity and peace generates international buzz. Newspapers like the London Times begin publishing articles and opening the floor to reader opinions, and the League of Nations is widely praised. In a letter to the editor of the London Times, W.H Dickinson recapitulates, "President Wilson has renewed his declarations in favor of a League of Nations for the prevention of war in the future, and has warned his fellow countrymen that this is probably the last great war which the United States will be able to keep out of" (7). The irony is not lost on those with the gift of hindsight, yet, even from the beginning, the reluctance of the United States to join the League of Nations is seen. As historians will come to agree, the League of Nations, without the United States, was doomed to fail, right from the onset. Yet, despite the glaringly obvious fact individual European nations can barely support their own country’s self-interests, almost every major, global power signs the Covenant of the League of Nations; that is, safe for the United States (Goldstein 30). This overbearing compulsion for self-interest will internally rot the League of Nations due to the fact the members will never be able to act as a collective, unified body (Goldstein 33). Without the power and presence of the United States, the League of Nations never agrees on a decisive plan of action (Timms). Great Britain and France subsequently hold a majority of the power in the League, yet the animosity between the two neighboring nations become unbearable (Timms). France has been decimated by trench warfare and is virtually penniless (Goldstein 14). Great Britain is unwilling to look beyond the problems of their own doorstep and there is a lingering paranoia concerning the potential rise of France (Goldstein 14). The United States, had they participated in the League of Nations, would have provided a stable financial foundation that would have allowed the European nations to pass treaties and motions that would have been in the interest of the world, rather that domestic problems (Walter 67). Yet, the United States does try and provide a solution to the monetary problems Europe undergoes due to the war (Walter 66). In 1924, an American banker by the name of Charles Dawes creates an arrangement in which the Allied Forces are to collect war reparations from Germany (Walter 53). This arrangement is called the Dawes Plan. At the time, the Dawes Plan is praised and highly regarded as a tremendous salvation to the crippled and fragile European economy. Mr. Hughes, a journalist for the London Times, speaks highly of the Dawes Plan, claming that it, "opens the path of confidence and prosperity" and that "failure would invite chaos" (16). Once again, in retrospect, the Dawes Plan will provide to be a colossal failure that has Germany unable to meet reparation standards and Germany’s economy, as well as every other European country’s economy, unstable. Years later, the experts state, "the Dawes Plan has done much, but it did not definitely fix the total of Germany’s debt…the sum of €125,000,000, constituting the standard annuity paid by Germany under the schedule of the Dawes Plan, is considerably in excess of what all the Allies together owe to the United States" (The London Times 13). Had the United States joined the League of Nations, it would have been a primary power holder and the Charter of the League of Nations would have been exercised fully under the wealthy grip of America (Walter 68). Instead, the League decides to trek on, internally feeble, suspicious and tentative. Additionally, since the League of Nations has very little international power, they are unable to uphold the goals highlighted in conception. As stated in the Covenant, the League of Nations primarily came to be to, "promote international co-operation and to achieve international peace and security" (Goldstein 37). Their goals include: a) Disarmament to rid the threat of future attacks, b) The prevention of war through collective security to avoid bloodshed like that of World War I, c) Settling disputes between countries through negotiation and diplomacy for international peace and security and, d) Improving global welfare for world peace and well being (Goldstein, 38). These goals are to be accomplished using certain articles in the League of Nations’ Charter; more specifically Article 8: the disarmament of member nations to the barest minimum, Article 10: the preservation of peace democratically, Article 12: the decree that all conflicts are to be democratically resolved via the Council of the League of Nations and Article 16: the decree that economic sanctions will be implemented against a nation if peace is disrupted (Goldstein, 38-39). Although the aims of the League of Nations are reasonable, the only way in which the League would have been able to follow through with their peaceful aims as well as pose an international threat would have been with economic sanctions. Sadly, without the United States, the League itself lacks inner power to fully inflict their international law (Timms). In a famous quote by Italian leader and renowned fascist, Benito Mussolini stated, "the League is very well when sparrows shout, but no good at all when eagles fall out" (Mussolini). Moreover, Punch Magazine, an incredibly popular political magazine, depicted the ‘kitten weakness’ of the League of Nations in a 1920 political satirical cartoon The Rabbit, which boasted the caption, "My offensive equipment being practically nil, it remains for me to fascinate him with the power of my eye" (Punch). Seeing as how the League of Nations cannot enforce its laws on the United States (because the United States is not a member of the League of Nations), economic embargoes become useless, as is the case when Japan invades Manchuria (Ambrosius 59). When Japan invades Manchuria, Article 16, the most important article in the Charter, is called forth and economic sanctions are implemented against Japan (Carr 290). Yet, the League has no outside power to influence countries that are not part of the League of Nations; mainly the United States (Carr 290). To quote the League of Nations handbook, “As regards the military sanctions provided for in paragraph 2 of Article 16, there is no legal obligation to apply them… there may be a political and moral duty incumbent on states… but, once again, there is no obligation on them". Seeing how the United States did not have to abide by the League’s sanctions, they continued to trade with Japan, thus undermining the original goal of the League (Carr 288). With the Japanese economy still going strong, and the League of Nations lacking armed forces, Japan’s blatant violation of the League of Nations’ Charter is all but left unpunished. Years prior, the League of Nations had called a general meeting to "propose measures to render the League Covenant more effective in the organization of collective security" and the important question of what would happen if a "state which endangered peace by the unilateral repudiation of its international obligations can prevent the Council from taking the necessary decisions" (The Times 14). Japan, in 1931, became that ‘state that endangered peace’ and as the world feared, the League was powerless to prevent the outcome from happening. Furthermore, the League of Nations could not sufficiently enforce their decisions due to the fact the League did not possess armed forces (Heater 75). Of all the members of the League, Great Britain and France possess the largest armies, thus making them the most powerful (Heater 75-76). Naturally, seeing as how Great Britain and France are relied upon the most, they are the ones who are most reluctant to deploy troops (Timms). In fact, Britain and France are much more inclined to appeasement than collective security (Timms). With the two most powerful members unable to invoke a sensation of solidarity, the League becomes crippled. The United States, at the time, has the largest and most powerful army on hand (Carr 284). Due to the fact America did not enter the League of Nations, the small, badly wounded armies of Great Britain and France are left stretched thin. Furthermore, the more influential powers are not fully committed to the League seeing as how there is a high self-interest among participants (Timms). Great Britain and France could not financially support troops entering into another nation to promote peace and stability seeing as how neither nation could promote peace and stability internally (Timms). When Japan initially entered Manchuria in 1931, it takes an exceedingly long time for the League of Nations to organize themselves and properly handle the situation (Carr 175). The United States is genuinely the only super-power that would have been able to support the Charter of the League of Nations, and send in forces to prevent the oncoming feud. So, in an attempt to avoid sending in the forces they did not possess, as well as uphold Article 10 and their democratic view of international law, the League commissions V. Bulwer-Lytton to investigate the Manchuria problem (Carr 167). In 1933, Lytton issues the Lytton Report, which maintains that Japan is in fact the aggressor; yet sadly, by this time Japan has established a puppet government in Manchuria (Carr 167). As Article 12 dictates, a ballot is passed in the Assembly and Japan, under the Charter of the League of Nations, lost the vote for Manchuria 42-1 (Carr 170). Yet, seeing how the League had very little power to accentuate their dominance, Japan takes a page out of the United State’s book and removes itself, effectively leaving the League of Nations in 1932 (Ambrosius 104). Now free to pursue Manchuria without the impositions of the League, Japan is free to continually bombard and attack Shanghai (Carr 171). Moreover, the effects of the Great Depression are just beginning to make itself known (Carr 247). To place a country under an economic sanction when supplies are scarce and trading is the only means to gaining the necessary supplies is incredibly difficult (Carr 247). Considering the United States is hit the hardest during the collapse of Wall Street, it would be cruel to demand that they not trade with Japan; a relatively wealthy country (Carr 247). As a direct result of the Depression and the incapability to legitimately enforce economic sanctions, the League of Nations had an increasingly difficult time trying to keep Italy from annexing Abyssinia (Timms). This will later become a sore point for Italy, which will cause their exit from the League (Timms). Slowly, the League began to internally implode as crucial members begin to leave the mockery of an international organization. After Japan exited, a year later in 1933 Germany quit, which was soon followed by Italy in 1937 then the Bolshevik Soviet Russia in 1939 (Timms). Now England and France are the only two major powers to remain in the League of Nations. Yet, both superpowers never quite trusted the other and only joined the League of Nations to ensure that neither country became too powerful in the delicate stages of the rebuilding of Europe (Timms). With distrust running rampant and an overwhelming sense of powerlessness, the League of Nations is left crippled and weak. With virtually all members disbanded, tensions waxed high and the end of the 1930’s saw the beginning of World War II (Walters 193). Seeing as how the League of Nations was created for the sole purpose of preventing another world war, the last and final aim has gone unprotected. The League of Nations collapsed completely in 1939 like a poorly constructed card castle. Indeed, the League of Nations seemed doomed from the very start. Without pivotal powers like that of the United States to enforce resolutions, the inability to maintain and execute Covenant goals and a lack of military, the League is left vulnerable. Yet, one must look past the assumed failure of the League of Nations to witness the accomplishments it would later flourish. The United Nations is now a testament to the adage, “if at first you do not succeed, try, try again”. Seeing as how the United Nations has stood proud for over half of a century, the world has obviously figured out the kinks and flaws that made the League of Nations so helpless. Works Cited Ambrosius, Lloyd. Woodrow Wilson and the American Diplomatic Tradition: The Treaty Fight in Perspective. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987. Carr, Edward Hallett. International Relations Between the Two World Wars. London: Macmillan, 1963. Goldstein, Erik. The First World War Peace Settlements 1919-1925. London: Pearson Education, 2002. Heater, Derek. Our World this Century. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982. Sauvain, Phillip. Key Themes of the Twentieth Century. England: Stanley Thornes Ltd, 1996. Timms, Jonathan. The Failure of the League of Nations. November 2, 2005. ONLINE AVAILABLE: , 2005. Walters, F. P. History of the League of Nations. New York: Oxford, 1961. Primary Sources Dickinson, W. H. "A League Of Nations". The Times, Friday, Nov 03, 1916; pg. 7; Issue 41315; col E Hughes. "U.S. Help For Europe. Mr. Hughes On The Dawes Plan". The Times, Tuesday, Jul 22, 1924; pg. 16; Issue 43710; col A Mussolini, Benito. Benito Mussolini Quotes. March 9, 2007. ONLINE AVAILABLE: < http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/benito_mussolini/3.html>, 2007. Punch Magazine Comic. The Rabbit. Punch Magazine. July 28, 1920. The London Times. "Action Against Aggressors League Economic Sanctions". The Times, Saturday, Jun 29, 1935; pg. 14; Issue 47103; col B The London Times. " Dawes Plan Revision. Problems Before The Experts". The Times, Friday, Dec 21, 1928; pg. 13; Issue 45082; col A