League of Nations

The League of Nations was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose main job was to keep world peace. It started on 10 January 1920 after the First World War ended, and it stopped working on 18 April 1946. Many of its jobs were taken over by the new United Nations which started after the Second World War. The League was created to stop wars by working together and talking things out instead of fighting.

Its big goals were to stop wars by having countries work together, reduce the need for weapons, and solve problems by talking and negotiating. The League also cared about fair treatment for workers, helping people who were moved from their homes, stopping harmful activities, and keeping people healthy. Even though the United States never joined, and some big countries left, the League helped make new rules for how countries should behave and gave smaller countries a chance to be heard.

Even though it couldn’t stop the Second World War, the League helped make the world a better place by starting new ideas about fairness, health, and helping people in need. It also helped set up the United Nations, which continues its work today.

Origins

The idea of a peaceful group of countries working together to stop fights and help everyone get along has been around since 1795. A writer named Immanuel Kant wrote about it, hoping each country would treat others fairly. Later, after big wars like the Napoleonic Wars, leaders tried to keep peace between countries.

When World War I started, many people began planning ways to stop future wars. Groups formed in different countries, pushing for a new way to solve problems without fighting. Leaders like Woodrow Wilson wanted a "league of nations" to make sure peace and fairness lasted. After the war ended, many worked hard to create this league, hoping it would help prevent more wars by talking things out instead of fighting.

The League of Nations officially started in 1920, created from the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I. It aimed to help countries solve problems peacefully and keep everyone safe. The League had meetings where countries could discuss issues and try to find fair solutions together. Even though the United States didn’t join, many other countries worked together through the League to try to make the world a better place.

Languages and symbols

The League of Nations used French and English as its official languages.

In 1939, during the New York World's Fair, a special flag and emblem appeared for the League of Nations. It showed two five-pointed stars inside a blue pentagon, representing the five continents and all people. The top part had the English name "League of Nations," and the bottom part showed the French name "Société des Nations".

Membership

See also: Member states of the League of Nations

The League of Nations started with 42 members in November 1920. By September 1924, the number grew to 55 as more countries joined. Some countries left early, like Costa Rica in 1924 and Brazil in 1926. Germany joined in 1926.

In the 1930s, more countries such as Iraq and the Soviet Union joined, but others like the Empire of Japan and Nazi Germany left. By the late 1930s, the League had fewer members as it faced challenges, with Egypt being the last to join before World War II. The Soviet Union was removed in 1939 for invading Finland.

Organisation

Main article: Organisation of the League of Nations

See also: Permanent Court of International Justice, Economic and Financial Organization of the League of Nations, and Leaders of the League of Nations

Permanent organs

The League of Nations had three main parts: the Assembly, the Council, and the Permanent Secretariat. It also included the Permanent Court of International Justice and the International Labour Organization. Many other groups helped with special tasks.

Decisions needed everyone to agree, except for simple rules or adding new members. This showed that all countries were equal and wanted to solve problems together.

The Secretariat was based in Geneva and had experts who prepared meetings and shared information. The Assembly included all member countries, with each country allowed up to three representatives. It met in Geneva once a year and handled important jobs like choosing new members and managing money.

The Council acted like a leadership group. It started with four big countries—the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Japan—and four smaller countries chosen by the Assembly. The Council met several times a year to guide the Assembly’s work.

Other bodies

The League helped create many groups to solve worldwide problems. These included the Disarmament Commission, the International Labour Organization, and the Permanent Court of International Justice. After World War II, some of these groups became part of the United Nations.

The International Labour Organization started in 1919. It worked to improve working conditions, such as pushing for an eight-hour work day and ending child labor. It also helped women in the workplace and made sure ship owners were responsible for accidents.

The Health Organization focused on fighting diseases like leprosy, malaria, and yellow fever. It also worked with the Soviet Union to stop typhus outbreaks.

The League also worked to stop slavery and forced labor around the world. It helped countries like Afghanistan and Ethiopia end these practices.

The International Labour Organization made rules to make workplaces safer, like stopping the use of lead in paint. It also pushed countries to agree to an eight-hour work day and forty-eight-hour work week. The group worked hard to end child labor, improve rights for women at work, and make sure ship owners were responsible if workers got hurt.

The League’s Health Organization had three parts: the Health Bureau, the General Advisory Council, and the Health Committee. Most health work was done by the Paris-based Office international d'hygiène publique, which started in 1907. The Health Committee focused on stopping diseases like leprosy, malaria, and yellow fever. It also worked with the Soviet government to stop typhus outbreaks.

The League paid close attention to controlling drugs. The Permanent Central Opium Board watched trade in opium, morphine, cocaine, and heroin. It made rules for countries to follow when trading these substances.

Since it started, the League cared a lot about helping share ideas around the world. In 1920, the First Assembly asked the Council to organize intellectual work internationally. A committee met in Geneva in 1922, led by French philosopher Henri Bergson. The committee helped protect intellectual property, work with universities, share books, and support archaeology.

The Slavery Commission worked to end slavery and forced labor worldwide. It helped countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Nepal, Transjordan, Persia, Bahrain, and Ethiopia stop these practices.

The League helped reduce the number of workers who died building the Tanganyika railway from 55 to 4 percent. It kept records to stop slavery, forced prostitution, and the trading of women and children. Because of the League’s work, many countries ended slavery and forced labor in the 1920s and 1930s.

The Commission for Refugees, led by Fridtjof Nansen, started in 1921 to help people who had to leave their homes. After World War I, millions of people from different countries were scattered in Russia. The commission helped 425,000 of them return home within two years. It set up camps in Turkey to help with a refugee crisis, preventing diseases like cholera, smallpox, and dysentery. It also created the Nansen passport to help people without a country travel safely.

The Committee for the Study of the Legal Status of Women started in 1937 to look at how women were treated around the world. Later, it became part of the United Nations.

The League didn’t say much about money at first. But in 1920, it called for a financial conference. In 1923, it created a permanent Economic and Financial Organisation to help countries with money and trade.

Mandates

After World War I, leaders needed to decide what to do with lands from defeated countries. President Woodrow Wilson wanted these lands to be helped by the League of Nations until they could govern themselves, instead of being taken over completely. This idea was new and some countries were not happy with it.

The League created a system called mandates to manage these lands. A group called the Permanent Mandates Commission watched over these areas and helped people decide where they wanted to live. There were three types of mandates: A, B, and C. Each type had different rules based on how ready the people were to govern themselves. Mandatory powers, like the United Kingdom and France, helped these lands until they could stand alone. Most of these areas did not become independent until after World War II.

Resolving territorial disputes

The end of the First World War left many questions about national borders and which countries would control certain regions. The victorious Allied Powers usually handled these issues, but they sometimes turned to the League of Nations for help with the toughest problems. In its early years, the League didn’t play a big role in solving these after-war issues.

As the League grew, it became more important. By the middle of the 1920s, countries like the United States and the Soviet Union started working with it. France, Britain, and Germany also used the League to try to settle their disagreements peacefully.

Åland Islands

The Åland Islands are a group of islands in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland. People there mostly speak Swedish, but they became part of Russia in 1809, and later Finland in 1917. The people of Åland wanted to join Sweden again, but Finland said they were part of their country. This almost led to war, so the British asked the League for help. The League decided the islands should stay with Finland but with special protections for the people there.

Upper Silesia

Poland and Germany both wanted control of Upper Silesia. After a vote showed most people wanted to join Germany, Poland wasn’t happy and started an uprising. The League stepped in and suggested splitting the area between the two countries. Most of Upper Silesia went to Germany, but Poland got the part with important minerals and industries.

Albania

When Albania became independent, its borders weren’t clear. Greece and Yugoslav forces moved into parts of Albania, so the League helped set the borders based on what they had been in 1913, with a few small changes favoring Yugoslavia.

Memel

The city of Memel and its area had mostly German speakers but were under temporary control after World War I. Lithuania took it over in 1923, and the League later agreed to give it to Lithuania with special rights for the people there. Later, in 1939, Germany took it back by force.

Hatay

The area of Alexandretta, which had been part of French-mandated Syria, became independent as Hatay in 1938 and then joined Turkey in 1939.

Mosul

Iraq and Turkey both claimed the area of Mosul. The League sent a team to ask the people there what they wanted. They chose to join Iraq, so the League decided Mosul would stay with Iraq. Turkey didn’t like this at first but eventually agreed.

Vilnius

After World War I, Poland and Lithuania both wanted the city of Vilnius. Poland took it by force in 1920, and the League tried to organize a vote to decide who should control it. This didn’t work, and Poland kept the city. Lithuania didn’t accept this until many years later.

Colombia and Peru

Colombia and Peru argued over the town of Leticia. Peru took it over in 1932, but after the League helped negotiate, they returned it to Colombia in 1934. They also agreed to stay peaceful and let ships travel freely on nearby rivers.

Saar

The Saar area was put under League control after World War I. After 15 years, people there voted to join Germany again in 1935, and the League agreed.

Eastern Greenland

Denmark and Norway argued over part of eastern Greenland. The League’s court said Denmark needed to show it controlled the area, so they set up police stations there to make sure no one else, like Nazi Germany, could use it during World War II.

Other conflicts

The League of Nations tried to help in many conflicts between countries. It worked on stopping the trade of harmful substances and helped refugees, especially in Turkey before 1926. In 1922, it created a special identification card for people without a country, known as the Nansen passport.

Greece and Bulgaria

Main article: Incident at Petrich

In October 1925, a fight started between soldiers at the border of Greece and Bulgaria. This led to a bigger fight, and Greek soldiers entered Bulgaria. The League asked Greece to leave and pay Bulgaria for the damage.

Liberia

After claims of unfair treatment on a large rubber farm and accusations of trading people, Liberia asked the League to investigate. In 1930, the League found that unfair treatment and forced work happened. This led to changes in the Liberian government.

Mukden Incident

Main articles: Mukden Incident and Japanese invasion of Manchuria

In 1931, Japan damaged a railway in Manchuria, China, as an excuse to take over the area. They called the new area Manchukuo and set up a government there. The League sent observers, but Japan left the League rather than follow its rules.

Chaco War

Main article: Chaco War

The League could not stop a war in 1932 between Bolivia and Paraguay over a dry area called the Gran Chaco. Both countries suffered many losses, and Paraguay took control of most of the area.

Italian invasion of Abyssinia

Main articles: Abyssinia Crisis and Second Italo-Abyssinian War

In 1935, Italy invaded Abyssinia (Ethiopia). The League tried to stop Italy by making trade rules, but these did not work well. Italy took control of many cities, including the capital, Addis Ababa.

Spanish Civil War

Main article: Spanish Civil War

In 1936, a group in Spain tried to take over the country, starting a long fight. The League did not stop the fighting, and different countries helped each side. The group that started the fight won in 1939.

Second Sino-Japanese War

Main article: Second Sino-Japanese War

When Japan started a big war in China in 1937, China asked the League for help. The League could not do much to help.

Soviet invasion of Finland

Main article: Winter War

In 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Finland. The League removed the Soviet Union from its group of members for breaking its promises.

Failure of disarmament

Further information: World Disarmament Conference

The League of Nations tried to help countries reduce their weapons to keep peace, but it had many problems. Big countries did not trust it, and it did not have much power to make changes. The people working there sometimes gave wrong information, which made others have false hopes.

The League did have some wins, like a meeting in 1925 to control the trade of weapons and starting to collect data about arms around the world. It also helped make a rule in 1925 to ban poison gas in wars, which many people supported.

But the League faced big challenges. In 1923, it tried to make a treaty to stop countries from attacking each other and help those who were attacked, but it was not accepted. Later attempts to make rules for solving fights between countries also failed because some countries were worried about getting into trouble. As Germany grew stronger after World War I, countries like France were scared to reduce their weapons. A big meeting in 1932 to talk about disarmament did not work well. Even as tensions grew and led to World War II, the League could not stop countries from building up their armies. Some countries left the League instead of following its decisions.

Economic policies

International taxation

The League of Nations helped create rules for how countries handle taxes on people and businesses that work in more than one country. In 1923, they made a report with ideas to prevent two countries from taxing the same person or business, which can hurt trade and growth. Before this, each country made its own rules or made special agreements with one other country. The League tried to get many countries to agree on tax rules together, but later went back to the older way of countries making agreements two at a time.

General weaknesses

The League of Nations was created after the First World War to help keep peace between countries. However, it faced many challenges that made it difficult to succeed.

One big problem was that many important countries did not join the League. The most notable was the United States, which helped create the idea but chose not to become a member. This weakened the League because it did not have the full support of all powerful nations.

The League also had rules that made it hard to act quickly. Decisions needed agreement from many members, which often led to delays or no action at all. As a result, when problems arose, the League was often too slow to respond effectively.

Demise and legacy

As tensions in Europe grew, the League of Nations kept operating with reduced powers. Its main building, the Palace of Nations, stood empty for six years until World War II ended.

In 1943, the leaders of the Allied nations decided to create a new group called the United Nations to replace the League. Many of the League’s teams, like the group working on labour rights, kept going and later joined the UN. The League held its last meeting on April 18, 1946, in Geneva. Leaders from 34 countries met to finish the League’s work. They gave its buildings, money, and records to the United Nations and returned funds to the countries that had provided them.

Historians studying the League’s records say that even though it couldn’t stop all wars, it helped make important changes. It supported fair laws around the world, gave smaller countries a voice, and brought attention to big problems like diseases, unfair treatment of people, and tough conditions for workers. It also helped prepare the way for new countries to become independent. The five main winners of World War II became permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, where they still have special voting powers today.

League of Nations archives

The League of Nations archives contain many important papers and documents from the League's time. These archives have about 15 million pages and cover the years from 1919 to 1946. Today, they are kept at the United Nations Office at Geneva. In 2017, a project began to make these archives available online, and it was finished in 2022.