The League of Nations

It's really Strengths and Weaknesses

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The League of Nations

Advantages

  • Over 42 countries joined
  • Members did support the aims and most were determined to avoid another war.
  • In times without crises members were prepared to co-operate with each other, especially to aid the work of the Commissions.

Disadvantages

  • The absence of important powers weakened the League and forced reliance on Britain and France, both of which were severely weakened by the First World War.
  • Collective action, on which the League depended, would only work if members put the League's interests first; selfishness was much too common.
  • The Assembly could not usually come to a quick or unanimous decision, and could not enforce these on the Council, where decisions could be prevented by the veto. Individual states were able to prevent any action at all.
  • The League could not rely on member states to provide armed force,, when they were not obliged to. Members were reluctant to spend the money, or pay the cost of casualties. Without effective economic or military sanctions the League was powerless.
  • The League was bound to enforce the increasingly impossible Treaty of Versailles, but lacked the force to do so.

Evaluation

Due to the fact that the countries could not agree with each other and they were not willing to risk their army to prevent the threat and the fact that they were all still weak from the First World War the League was a failure.

Comments

ThomasJefferson

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Are these things really as stated?

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