Question- What are the reasons behind the Failure of the League of Nations?

Answer -

The problem of bringing its political strength to bear soon became felt, especially on the great powers. Poland declined to comply with the League resolution in the Vilnius conflict, and the League was forced to stand idly by the French invasion of the Ruhr (1923) and the invasion of Kerkira by Italy (1923).

Failure to take action over Manchuria’s Japanese invasion (1931) was a blow to the prestige of the League, especially when Japan’s withdrawal from the League (1933) followed. Another significant mistake was the League’s inability to stop the Chaco War between Bolivia and Paraguay (1932-35). However, some international conflicts were effectively resolved by the League of Nations but failed to prevent the outbreak of World War II.

In the 1920s, the League of Nations progressed in many ways, preventing civil conflicts and improving lives. But it was unable to defend the Versailles Treaty, it failed to get disarmament, and it was unable to persuade powerful countries to stop fighting.

Furthermore, the League failed to achieve its goals referring to the notion of collective defense, which is commonly interpreted as a mutual response by states to another state’s aggression. Palmer and Perkins (2007) claimed that the League of Nations had struggled to implement collective security, since the US had not been a member of that organization since its formation, although the Soviet Union’s power had risen at the time. Also, the League failed in its main objective of preserving world peace. In 1939, the entire world became embroiled in war again, following its attempts for two decades. There are numerous reasons for its failure. Big forces such as the United States and the USSR were not members of the League of Nations. It was a grave mistake. The League member states did not cooperate, however. As a consequence, the League failed in its mission, and World War II broke out.

Maurice Vaisse (1993) summed up the reasons as follows:

1. It failed because it was an inadequate mechanism to achieve disarmament;
2. It failed because the League was not universal;
3. It failed because of the conflict between Great Britain and France;
4. It failed because internal powers were hostile to disarmament within the countries;
5. It failed because the Conference on Disarmament was convened too late, under hostile conditions;
6. It failed because of the conflict between France and Germany at the Conference on Disarmament. ​
7. It failed because of the overly optimistic goals and the disarmament.

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