Edited by Gerald Boerner
Commentary:
We look today at a great experiment in international understanding that failed. It is not always the successes that are important; The League of Nations was proposed for the “right” reasons but was circumvented by the realities of weak human nature. Incorporated into The Treaty of Versailles, this international governmental organization failed on three fronts: social engineering of the map of Europe, the quest of both the British & French Empires or lands in the Middle East and Africa, and by the rapid retreat by the United States back into isolationism.
The League of Nations was the outgrowth of President Woodrow Wilson’s “Fourteen Point”. The French and the British, in their demand to place the entire blame for World War I on Germany, sought a way to acquire German and Ottoman territories for their own empires, they supported the League of Nations Mandates. Therefore, the two empires were able to use Wilson’s principles to “legally” accomplish their goals.
But probably the most critical shortfall was the lack of American participation. The failure to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, of which the League of Nations was a part, left the keystone of leadership out of the organization. The Republican leaders in the Legislature sought to return to the isolated little enclave found here. The brief venture into Europe’s war and the treaty process was rejected and would be our approach to our response to the family of nations until the so-called “surprise” attack on Pearl Harbor.
But, enough of this background. Let’s get our exploration of the League of Nations started… GLB
These Introductory Comments are copyrighted:
Copyright©2010 — Gerald Boerner — All Rights Reserved[ 4228 Words ]
Quotations Related to LEAGUE OF NATIONS:
“The real history of the U.N. lies in the perceived failure of the League of Nations.”
— Joel Diemond
“There was a sense among Roosevelt’s generation the League of Nations had failed.”
— David Woolner
“Thus, there can be no real disarmament except on the basis of the collective peace system of the League of Nations.”
— Arthur Henderson