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| Dipankarshil Priyadarshi |
The First World War (1914 to 1918) was a very terrible and destructive war. After this war, the countries of the world understood that if such wars are to be prevented in the future, then there is a need for an international institution that can maintain peace and security and ensure respect for the law.
Why was the League of Nations created?
The League of Nations was created so that countries resolve disputes through dialogue and cooperation among themselves, and not fight wars. That is why many people call it "the child of war", that is, this institution was born out of the pain of war.
Where did the idea of the League of Nations come from?
Although the League of Nations was established after the war, its idea was being formed even before that. There were three major movements behind it:
1. Concert of Europe
This was a system of maintaining mutual cooperation and peace among European countries in the nineteenth century. This marked the beginning of the idea of an organization.
2. Hague Conferences (1899 and 1907)
In these conferences, countries discussed ways to maintain peace and resolve disputes. This idea later came to the fore in the form of the "Assembly" of the League of Nations.
3. Technical and administrative organizations
such as the Universal Postal Union. These organizations showed that countries can work together. This thinking later became the foundation of the League of Nations.
How was the League of Nations established?
In January 1918, British Prime Minister Lloyd George said in a speech that an international institution should be created to prevent war.
In December 1918, General Smuts put forward a proposal in which it was said that the League of Nations should have an Assembly, a Council and a Court.
Lord Robert Cecil also prepared a draft, which was called the "Cecil Draft".
Later America and Britain also made their own drafts. A joint draft was prepared by combining these, which was called the Hurst-Miller draft.
This joint draft was presented in the peace conference and was accepted on 28 April 1919.
This draft became a part of the Treaty of Versailles.
Establishment of the League of Nations
The League of Nations was officially established on 10 January 1920.
Objectives of the League of Nations
The League of Nations had two main objectives:
1. To maintain peace and security in the world – that is, there should be no war or conflict between countries and everyone should live in harmony.
2. To promote international cooperation – that is, countries should solve problems together and help each other.
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Main Organs of the League of Nations
The League of Nations had three main parts:
1. Assembly:
Every member country was included in this.
Every country could send three representatives, but had the right to cast only one vote.
The work of the Assembly was:
To admit new countries as members (by a two-thirds majority),
To elect some temporary members of the Council,
To approve the appointment of the Secretary-General.
However, there was no clear division of work between the Assembly and the Council, which later caused problems.
2. Council:
Its main members were – America, Britain, France, Italy and Japan (but America never joined).
Four other countries were elected by the Assembly.
America's absence proved to be detrimental for the League of Nations.
Functions of the Council:
Appointment of permanent members,
Making plans for arms reduction,
Advising on defense in case of an attack on a country,
Helping in maintaining territorial integrity.
3. Secretariat:
This was the administrative office of the League of Nations.
It had about 600 officers and employees.
Its chief officer was the Secretary-General, who was appointed with the consent of the Council.
This was the first time when an international civil service was started, which was later further improved by the United Nations (UNO).
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Withdrawal of Membership:
Any country was allowed to withdraw from the League of Nations, but on two conditions:
1. The country had to give notice two years in advance that it wanted to leave the membership.
2. After this notice period of two years, the country was automatically out of the League of Nations.
(a) Another reason for terminating the membership (second situation):
If any amendment was made in the agreement of the League of Nations,
and any member did not agree with it or opposed it,
then it also had the right to leave the membership.
What was the reason for this?
Because the agreement of the League of Nations was actually a multilateral international treaty.
And such treaties are based on the equal acceptance of all.
Any country, which is independent and sovereign, cannot be bound by any amendment without consent.
What was the result of this?
Due to this provision, many countries later left the membership of the League of Nations.
Initially there were 62 members, but later it reduced to only 32.
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(b) Main functions of the League of Nations:
1. To reduce the number of weapons so that there are only as many as are necessary for the security of the country. (Article 8)
2. To protect the borders and political independence of member countries. (Article 10)
3. To resolve disputes between countries peacefully. (Article 12 and 16)
4. To improve international relations and bring peace. (Article 19)
5. To maintain world peace and security. (Main objective)
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(c) Weaknesses and Drawbacks of the League of Nations:
1. War was not completely prohibited.
In some situations, countries could go to war, such as if a solution was not found after talking for three months.
2. All decisions in the council could be taken only by consensus.
It was necessary for every country to be unanimous, which was often not possible. This caused problems in decision making.
3. If there was disagreement on the amendment in the contract, the member could leave the League of Nations.
This weakened the League of Nations.
4. America did not become a member, although its President (Wilson) had initiated it.
The American Parliament (Senate) did not approve it.
5. Lack of power to resolve international disputes.
The Council did not have the capacity to take concrete decisions.
6. The exemption of leaving the membership by giving a notice of two years.
The bad effect of this was that the number of members decreased a lot.
7. Discrimination between superpowers and small countries.
8. The League of Nations did not have the power to use force – superpowers acted arbitrarily, like attacking small countries.
9. It failed to maintain peace in the world.
10. It could not become a universal institution.
Not all countries were its members, and gradually its members kept decreasing.
11. Countries gave priority to their personal interests. According to P.B. Potter, "This was the failure of the nations, not the League of Nations." d) Dissolution and Events:
1. 1923 – Italy attacked the island of Corfu, but the League of Nations did not support Greece.
2. 1931 – Japan occupied Manchuria, the League of Nations could not do anything.
3. 1932 – The disarmament conference failed, which was a big failure.
4. 1935 – Italy attacked Ethiopia, the League of Nations could not take any action.
5. 1939 – Russia attacked Finland, and the League of Nations just kept watching.
Conclusion:
These events made it clear that the League of Nations was a weak organization and failed to maintain world peace. But the main reason for its final disintegration was not that it did not have the power, but that its member countries did not perform their duties honestly.
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