1. To What extent was the Second World War caused by the failure of the League of Nations?

The Second World War

1. To What extent was the Second World War caused by the failure of the League of Nations?

The League of Nations could have been one huge factor in the outbreak of the war.
It was an association built 1919 and had a simple aim; to ensure that war never broke out again. 1919 was a time after famous disputes, for example the First World War. The First World War was a disaster. This means that it destroyed many lives, families, political relationships etc. The people experienced the horrors of war as unique and with this opinion as a bottom line the majority of the people of the western world built a thought that were made of the words: no more war! After the war, many thought that the League would bring stability to the world. Why was then the League a factor in the war’s outbreak and why is it criticized? Shortage of power can be the answer.
The country that built the association was USA, the greatest power in the world at that time. When USA itself refused to join the League of Nations, it was a serious blow to the prestige of the League.
Germany was not allowed in the League because it was considered not to be part of the international community and the aggressor of the war. Russia was not allowed either, because it generated fear in Western Europe.
The League of Nations could do only three things if a dispute occurred, these things were called sanctions: firstly, they could sit down and discuss the problem in an orderly and peaceful manner. If this did not work, they could give economic sanctions, or they could order the League’s members not to trade with the aggressor country in order to make them pay and suffer.
So, the world’s most powerful nations did not support the League in any way and they were not members of the association either. This left only Britain and France in the ruling positions. This and the poor system that they could react with created shortage of power. This played in its turn a big part in the war’s outbreak.
The lack of power was not only economical but also political. This means that Britain and France were both countries that suffered financially and militarily during the war, so the League’s interventions were dependent of their limited resources.
The League was almost powerless also because so few countries in so limited areas were members. Because of this, Britain and France were not enthusiastic to get involved in disputes that did not affect Western Europe. It could have been possible that because of the lack of power that the League suffered of, dictators such as Hitler and Mussolini became almost free hands to do whatever they wished. My opinion is that the lack of power of the League of Nations contributed quite a lot in the war’s outbreak.
At a social level the League did have success but most of it is almost forgotten with its failure at a political level. The League sent teams to the Third World to dig water wells and to wipe out diseases. They even worked with drug smuggling, status of women and child slave labor. Their ideas were taken up and continued by the United Nations. The United Nations is today one of the world’s most significant organization. This is why people should know more about the League of Nations and not only about its failures.