The League of Nations.

What was it and why did it fail?

  

The cartoon above shows that the USA have built the League of Nations by bringing the four nations together, yet refuse to be the vital key stone. The League is clearly useless because of this.

The cartoon above shows President Wilson giving an olive branch to a dove (both symbols of peace). The point being made is that the branch is clearly too big for the bird and represents the ridiculous nature of the job the League of Nations had set itself.

Both of these cartoons are typical of the type used in GCSE exams. Get use to explaining what they are saying. Always remember political cartoons operate at a number of levels, the obvious and one that requires you to show full and clear subject knowledge.


 The League of Nations was formed in 1920. It had very simple and clear aims. Countries would use diplomacy and negotiations in future to solve problems rather than conflict. The League of Nations would become an International Police Force to resolve issues between countries. 

The logic was that the First World war had come out of secret deals and treaties. They would end.

President Woodrow Wilson put a lot of effort and time into starting the League. he argued that democracy was the answer. Democracy, where the people have the vote would be a safeguard against war. Who, went the argument, would vote for war?

The American people did not agree. They were sick of International affairs and said the USA should keep out of others countries problems. They refused to join. 

The Soviet Union, Germany and Japan were also kept out. So to begin with the League had no teeth to enforce rulings. In the early years it did resolve some problems. The Aaland Islands between Sweden and Finland was one such case. It helped re--house people after the war, it also assisted in the World flu epidemic after the war. It organised against international drug trafficking and slavery.  However these were issues that did not have major nations in conflict. The first real test came in 1931 when Japan invaded Manchuria. click here to see what happened.