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April 18, 2011 marks the 65th anniversary of the decision to liquidate the League of Nations.
On April 18, 1946, the League of Nations, an international intergovernmental organization established in 1919 to develop cooperation between peoples and guarantee their peace and security, ceased to exist due to the formation of the UN.
Charter of the League of Nations, worked out by a special commission created at the Paris Peace Conference (1919-1920), and included in the Treaty of Versailles (1919) and other peace treaties that completed the first world war(1914-1918), was originally signed with 44 states, including 31 states that took part in the war on the side of the Entente or joined it and 13 states that remained neutral during the war. The United States did not ratify the charter of the League of Nations and did not become a member of it.
The total number of members of the League of Nations varied within 45-60 states.
The USSR joined the League of Nations in 1934. In December 1939, after the outbreak of the Soviet-Finnish war (1939-1940), the Council of the League expelled the USSR from the League of Nations.
The structure, functions and powers of the League were defined in its Charter.
The main bodies of the League of Nations were the Assembly - an annual meeting of representatives of all members of the organization and the Council of the League of Nations (it met 107 times during its existence) - consisting of permanent and non-permanent members periodically elected by the Assembly. Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan were permanent members of the Council, and after joining the organization (respectively in 1926 and 1934) - Germany and the USSR. The Assembly and the Council met in Geneva. The Secretariat of the League of Nations, headed by the Secretary General, also worked there.
In addition to the main organs, the League of Nations also had auxiliary ones in the form of permanent and temporary commissions. There were also autonomous bodies (for example, the International Labor Organization, the Permanent Court of International Justice, etc.).
official languages The League of Nations were French and English.
The most important articles of the Charter of the League of Nations were Art. 8, 10-17 and 22. Article 8 declared the need to limit national armaments "to the minimum compatible with national security and with the fulfillment of international obligations imposed by the common action." Such a definition opened up unlimited possibilities for an arms race.
In Art. 10 proclaimed the principle of mutual guarantee of the territorial integrity of the member countries of the League of Nations. It was this article that caused the main objections in the US Senate, which refused to ratify the League's charter.
Any war or threat of war was, according to the statute, to cause the League of Nations to take measures "capable of effectively protecting the peace of nations" (Article 11).
Art. 12-15 determined the procedure for resolving disputes through arbitration or by consideration in the Council of the League of Nations. This procedure was very complicated, if the Council did not reach unanimity on the issue of the dispute, the members of the League of Nations reserved "the right to do as they see fit ..."
In Art. 14 The Council was instructed to prepare a draft of the Permanent Court of International Justice, which is obliged to resolve all disputes of an international nature referred to it.
Article 16 dealt with sanctions imposed on a State that committed an act of aggression. All members of the League of Nations were obliged to break commercial and financial relations with this state. The Council of the League of Nations was also obliged to determine the contingents of land, sea and air force, put up by each member of the League "to maintain respect for the obligations of the League."
In 1921, the Council of the League of Nations adopted a resolution stating that economic sanctions should be the main weapon in the fight against the aggressor.
The Charter of the League of Nations also provided for the intervention of the League in disputes between states that are not its members (Article 17). If a state that is not a member of the League of Nations participating in a dispute refuses to take measures to resolve it, proposed by the Council of the League, and resorts to war against one of the members of the League, then the economic and military sanctions provided for in Art. 16.
Article 22 established the procedure for the administration of the former German and Turkish territories in the Arab East, Africa and pacific ocean.
The League of Nations has achieved certain successes in the social and humanitarian fields, in the field of international economic policy and financial regulation, international communications and transit systems, in improving the health care system in many countries of the world, scientific cooperation, codification international law, preparing conferences on disarmament and other social and humanitarian fields.
Control was established over the spread of opium and the slave trade (mainly by women). In addition, significant progress has been made in protecting the rights and interests of young people. The League was closely connected with its legal body - the Permanent Court of International Justice, which had its own structure and made independent decisions. In addition, the League worked closely with many international organizations that did not have formal or historical ties with it.
Despite the fact that the League managed to resolve - with varying degrees of success - more than 40 political conflicts, it was unable to take effective measures to ensure international security. This was most clearly manifested with the beginning of the preparations of Germany, Japan and Italy for the Second World War.
In 1933, Germany and Japan announced their withdrawal from the League of Nations (Italy followed suit in 1937). This rendered meaningless the provisions of the Statute on the reduction of the Armed Forces of the members of the League of Nations and on the exchange of information between them about their military potentials, as well as on the organization of control over the production of weapons and trade in them. The only concrete step of the League of Nations aimed at curbing the act of aggression was the decision to partially limit Italy's foreign economic relations during the Italo-Ethiopian war (1935-1941), which, however, did not affect the country's military potential. Japan's aggression in Manchuria (1931-1933) and the invasion of its troops deep into China (1937-1939) were condemned by the League only verbally. The League of Nations did not consider, in essence, the question of the German-Italian intervention in Spain in 1936-1939.
In 1938-1939. The League did not react to the fact that Germany captured Austria, Czechoslovakia and the Klaipeda region and attacked Poland, unleashing the 2nd World War, and also to the fact that Italy annexed Albania.
The provisions of the Statute on the protection by each member of the League of Nations of the territorial integrity and political independence its other members and on the creation for this joint armed forces from the national military contingents of the members of the League of Nations.
On April 8, 1946, the last Assembly of the League of Nations was convened in Geneva. The delegates adopted a resolution on the transfer of power and functions of the League to the United Nations, divided the League's reserve fund among the contributing countries, and handed over to the UN the Palace of Nations with a library and archive.
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THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS, first world organization, whose goals included the preservation of peace and the development international cooperation. It was formally founded on January 10, 1920 and ceased to exist on April 18, 1946 with the formation of the UN. The League of Nations found its practical expression in the ideas and projects proposed since the 17th century. up to the First World War. Of the 65 major states that existed on the planet in 1920, all except the United States and Saudi Arabia (formed in 1932), at one time or another were members of the League.Structure. The League of Nations included the member states of the League, the Assembly, the Council, the Secretariat, various technical commissions and auxiliary services. The structure, functions and powers of the League were defined in the Charter. The League's annual budget was ca. 6 million dollars. The headquarters of the main organs of the League was Geneva (Switzerland).The Assembly included representatives of all states that were members of the League of Nations. The sessions of the Assembly were held annually in September, in addition, special sessions were convened from time to time. Each member of the Assembly had one vote. The Assembly had broad powers that covered the entire scope of the League's activities. Paragraph 3 of the Charter stated that the Assembly had the right to consider "any question within the League's powers or affecting the peace of the world." The internal structure of the Assembly corresponded to the principles of building a legislative body, it included 7 standing committees, which usually operated in parallel with the technical services of the League.
The Council was originally intended for representatives of 9 states. US non-participation reduced the number of members of the Council to 8. Over the next 20 years, this figure fluctuated, and on January 1, 1940, the number of members of the Council reached 14. Membership in the Council could be permanent, non-permanent and temporary. The purpose of this division was to grant the right to permanent membership in the Council; the representation of small powers was carried out on the basis of the principle of rotation. In accordance with the Charter, Council sessions were held 4 times a year, not counting special sessions. The functions of the Council, defined by the Charter, were as broad as the functions of the Assembly, however, the Council had exclusive rights in resolving minority problems, issues related to the system of mandates, the problems of Danzig (Gdansk), Saar, in resolving conflicts and applying the articles of the Charter devoted to issues collective security.
The Secretariat was the administrative body of the League. The secretariat acted on a permanent basis and had a strong influence on the policy of the League. The Secretariat was headed by the Secretary General, the administrative head of the League. In 1940, the staff of the Secretariat included employees from 50 countries of the world.
Members of the League of Nations. Founding countries are marked with an asterisk (*). year of adoption and/ or the year of the declaration of withdrawal (effective after two years) are given in parentheses.Australia*
Austria (adopted in 1920, annexed by Germany in 1938)
Albania (adopted 1920, annexed by Italy 1939)
Argentina*
Afghanistan (adopted in 1934)
Belgium*
Bulgaria (adopted in 1920)
Bolivia*
Brazil (withdrew in 1926)
Hungary (adopted in 1922, withdrew in 1939)
Venezuela* (withdrew in 1938)
Haiti* (withdrew in 1942)
Guatemala* (withdrew in 1936)
Germany (accepted in 1926, withdrew in 1933)
Honduras* (withdrew in 1936)
Greece*
Denmark*
Dominican Republic (adopted 1924)
Egypt (adopted in 1937)
India*
Iraq (adopted in 1932)
Ireland (adopted 1923)
Spain* (withdrew in 1939)
Italy* (withdrew in 1937)
Canada*
China*
Colombia*
Costa Rica (adopted in 1920, withdrew in 1925)
Cuba*
Latvia (adopted in 1921)
Liberia*
Lithuania (adopted in 1921)
Luxembourg (adopted in 1920)
Mexico (adopted in 1931)
Netherlands*
Nicaragua* (withdrew in 1936)
New Zealand*
Norway*
Panama*
Paraguay* (withdrew in 1935)
Persia (Iran)*
Peru* (withdrew in 1939)
Poland*
Portugal*
Romania* (withdrew in 1940)
Salvador* (released in 1937)
Siam (Thailand)*
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland*
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (adopted in 1934, excluded in 1939)
Turkey (adopted in 1932)
Uruguay*
Finland (adopted in 1920)
France*
Czechoslovakia*
Chile* (withdrew in 1938)
Switzerland*
Sweden*
Ecuador (adopted in 1934)
Estonia (adopted in 1921)
Ethiopia (adopted 1923)
Yugoslavia*
Union of South Africa*
Japan* (withdrew in 1933)Functions. The main goals of the League were to keep the peace and improve conditions human life. Among the measures used to preserve peace were the reduction and limitation of armaments; obligations of the member states of the League to oppose any aggression; mutual agreements to arbitrate, legally settle or conduct special investigations by the Council; agreements of the members of the League on mutual actions in the application of economic and military sanctions. In addition to these basic conditions, a number of different provisions have been adopted, such as the registration of contracts and the protection of minorities.
Despite the fact that the League managed to resolve more or less successfully more than forty political conflicts, its efforts to resolve the main contradictions through the use of paragraph 16 of the League's Collective Security Charter led to its weakening and termination of activity. Unsuccessful attempt The League to apply effective sanctions in 1931 against Japan, which attacked Manchuria, the even more serious failure to influence events during the Italian aggression against Ethiopia clearly demonstrated to potential aggressors the weakness of the mechanism for the use of force in a peaceful settlement.
The failures of the League in solving political problems often obscure its achievements in the social and humanitarian fields, downplay the importance of its activities in the field of international economic policy and financial regulation, international communications and the transit system, in improving the health system in many countries of the world, scientific cooperation, codification of international law. , preparing conferences on disarmament and other social and humanitarian fields. Successes include establishing control over the spread of opium and the slave trade (mainly by women). In addition, significant progress has been made in protecting the rights and interests of young people. The League was closely connected with its legal body, the Permanent Court of International Justice, which had its own structure and made independent decisions. In addition, the League worked closely with many international organizations that did not have formal or historical ties with it.
The exclusion of the USSR from the League in 1939 led to the fact that only one great power, Great Britain, remained in its composition. In the critical days leading up to September 1939, not a single country resorted to the help of the League; by January 1940, the League ceased its activities in settling political issues. At the last session of the Assembly on April 18, 1946, a decision was made to transfer the property and material assets of the League to the United Nations, and its social and economic functions were combined with the activities of the Economic and Social Council.
APPENDIX CHARTER OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONSHigh Contracting Parties,
Bearing in mind that in order to develop cooperation among peoples and to guarantee their peace and security, it is important
make certain commitments not to resort to war,
keep public international relationships based on justice and honor,
strictly observe the prescriptions of international law, which are now recognized as the valid rule of conduct for governments,
establish the rule of justice and observe in good faith all the obligations imposed by treaties in the mutual relations of organized peoples who accept the present Charter, which establishes the League of Nations.
1. The original Members of the League of Nations are those of the signatories whose names appear in the Appendix to this Constitution, and also the States alike named in the Appendix, which shall accede to this Constitution without reservation, by means of a declaration deposited with the Secretariat within two months before the entry into force of the Charter, of which the other Members of the League will be notified.
2. All States, Dominions, or Colonies which are freely governed, and which are not listed in the Appendix, may become Members of the League, if two-thirds of the Assembly (Assembly) vote in favor of their admission, insofar as they will give valid guarantees of their sincere intention to observe international obligations and in so far as they will accept the regulations laid down by the League regarding their military, naval and air forces and armaments.
3. Any Member of the League may, after two years' prior warning, withdraw from the League, provided that by that time he has fulfilled all his international obligations, including obligations under this Charter.
The activities of the League, as defined in these Statutes, are carried out by the Assembly and the Council, which has a permanent Secretariat.
1. The Assembly consists of representatives of the Members of the League.
2. It meets at the appointed time and at any other time, if circumstances so require, at the seat of the League or such other place as may be appointed.
3. The Assembly is in charge of all matters which fall within the League's sphere of action and which affect the peace of the world.
4. Each Member of the League may have no more than three representatives in the Assembly and shall have only one vote.
1. The Council shall be composed of representatives of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers (Note: USA, British Empire, France, Italy and Japan), as well as representatives of four other Members of the League. These four Members of the League shall be appointed at the discretion of the Assembly and for such terms as it may wish to elect. Pending their first appointment by the Assembly, the representatives of Belgium, Brazil, Spain and Greece shall be members of the Council.
2. With the approval of a majority of the Assembly, the Council may appoint other Members of the League, whose representation on the Council shall henceforth be permanent. He may, with the same approval, increase the number of Members of the League to be elected by the Assembly to be represented on the Council ).
2-a. The Assembly will establish, by a two-thirds majority, the procedure for electing temporary members of the Council, in particular, determine the period of their participation in it and the conditions for a new election. (This amendment went into effect July 29, 1926.)
3. The Council meets when circumstances so require, and at least once a year, at the seat of the League or such other place as may be appointed.
4. The Council is in charge of all matters within the scope of the League and affecting the peace of the world.
5. Any Member of the League not represented on the Council is invited to send a representative to attend when a question is brought before the Council that especially affects its interests.
6. Each Member of the League represented in the Council has only one vote and has only one representative.
1. Insofar as there are no specifically contrary provisions of this Statute or provisions of this Treaty, the decisions of the Assembly or the Council shall be taken unanimously by the Members of the League represented in the assembly.
2. Any questions of procedure arising at meetings of the Assembly or Council, including the appointment of commissions to which the investigation of special cases is entrusted, shall be decided by the Assembly or Council, and the decision shall be made by a majority of the Members of the League represented at the meeting. [...]
1. The Permanent Secretariat is established at the seat of the League. It includes the Secretary General, as well as the necessary secretaries and necessary staff. [...]
1. The seat of the League shall be Geneva.
1. The members of the League recognize that the maintenance of peace requires the limitation of national armaments to the minimum compatible with national security and with the fulfillment of international obligations imposed by a common action.
2. The Council, taking into account the geographical location and special conditions of each State, shall prepare plans for this limitation for the consideration and decision of the various Governments.
3. These plans shall be the subject of a new review and, if necessary, revision at least every ten years.
4. After they have been adopted by the various Governments, the armaments limit so fixed may not be exceeded without the consent of the Council.
5. Considering that the private production of munitions and war material is seriously objected to, the Members of the League instruct the Council to give an opinion on measures capable of eliminating its harmful effects, taking into account the needs of those Members of the League who are unable to manufacture equipment and war material necessary for their security.
6. The Members of the League undertake to exchange in the most frank and exhaustive manner all information relating to the extent of their armaments, to their military, naval and air programs, and to the state of those branches of their industry that can be used for war.
A permanent commission will be formed to present to the Council its opinions on the implementation of the provisions of Articles 1 and 8 and likewise on general military, naval and air matters.
The Members of the League undertake to respect and preserve, against any external attack, the territorial integrity and existing political independence of all Members of the League. In the event of an attack, threat or danger of attack, the Council shall indicate the measures to ensure the fulfillment of this obligation.
1. Declares expressly that every war or threat of war, whether directly or not directly affecting any of the Members of the League, is of interest to the League as a whole, and that the latter must take measures capable of effectively safeguarding the peace of nations. In such a case, the General Secretary shall immediately convene the Council at the request of any Member of the League.
2. In addition, it is declared that every Member of the League has the right to draw the attention of the Assembly or Council in a friendly manner to any circumstance capable of affecting international relations and, therefore, threatening to shake the peace or good harmony among nations, on which the world depends.
1. The Members of the League agree that if a dispute arises between them, which may lead to a break, they will submit it either to arbitration, or judicial decision, or consideration of the Council. They also agree that they must in no case resort to war before the expiration of a period of three months after the decision of the arbitrators or the judgment, or the report of the Council.
2. In all cases provided for in this article, the decision of the arbitrators or the judgment shall be rendered within a reasonable time, and the report of the Council shall be drawn up within six months from the date of the submission of the dispute to its consideration.
1. The Members of the League agree that if a dispute arises between them, which, in their opinion, may be resolved by arbitration or judicial decision, and if this dispute cannot be satisfactorily settled by diplomatic means, then the matter will be fully submitted to arbitration or judicial decision.
2. Disputes which relate to the interpretation of a treaty, to any question of international law, to the existence of any fact which, if established, would amount to a breach of an international obligation, or to the amount and manner of remedy to be awarded for such breach.
3. The tribunal to which all such disputes are to be referred shall be the Permanent Court of Justice of the International Court of Justice established in accordance with Article 14, or any other tribunal on which the parties to the dispute agree among themselves, or which is established by some existing convention between them.
4. Members of the League undertake to carry out in good faith the decisions or resolutions passed and not to resort to war against a Member of the League who will comply with them. In case of non-compliance with the decision or regulation, the Council proposes measures to ensure their implementation.
The Council is instructed to draw up a draft of the Permanent Court of the International Court of Justice and present it to the Members of the League.
This Chamber shall be in charge of all disputes of an international character which the parties submit to it. It will also give advisory opinions on all disputes and on all questions that are brought before it by the Council or the Assembly.1. If a dispute arises between the Members of the League, which may lead to a rupture, and if this dispute is not subject to arbitration or judicial proceedings provided for in Article 13, then the Members of the League agree to submit it to the Council. It is enough for one of them to point this dispute to the Secretary General, who takes all measures for a full investigation and consideration.
2. As soon as possible, the Parties shall communicate to him the statement of their case with all relevant facts and corroborative documents. The Council may order their immediate publication.
3. The Council shall endeavor to secure a settlement of the dispute. If he succeeds, he publishes, to the extent he sees fit, a statement conveying the facts, the relevant explanations and the terms of this settlement.
4. If the dispute could not be settled, the Council shall draw up and publish a report, adopted either unanimously or by a majority of votes, to inform about the circumstances of the dispute, as well as the solutions proposed by it, as the most just and most suitable for the case.
5. Any Member of the League represented on the Council may likewise publish a statement of the facts relating to the dispute and its own conclusions.
6. If the report of the Council is adopted unanimously, and the votes of the representatives of the parties are not taken into account in establishing this unanimity, then the Members of the League undertake not to resort to war against any side that is consistent with the conclusions of the report.
7. In the event that the Council fails to achieve acceptance of its report by all its members other than the Representatives of the Parties to the dispute, the Members of the League reserve the right to do as they see fit for the preservation of law and justice.
8. If one of the Parties asserts, and if the Council accepts, that the dispute relates to a matter conferred exclusively within the internal jurisdiction of that Party by international law, the Council shall so state in the report without proposing any solution to the matter.
9. The Council may, in all cases provided for in this article, bring the dispute before the Assembly. The Assembly will have to deal with the dispute also at the request of one of the Parties; this motion must be submitted within fourteen days from the date the dispute was brought before the Council.
10. In any case referred to the Assembly, the provisions of this Article and Article 12 relating to the actions and powers of the Council shall equally apply to the actions and powers of the Assembly. It is agreed that a report drawn up by the Assembly with the approval of the representatives of the Members of the League represented on the Council and of the majority of the other Members of the League, except in each case the Representatives of the Parties to the dispute, shall have the same force as a report of the Council unanimously accepted by its Members, except Representatives of the parties to the dispute.
1. If a Member of the League resorts to war contrary to the obligations assumed in articles 12, 13 or 15, he
ipso facto regarded as having committed an act of war against all other Members of the League. The latter undertake to immediately break off all commercial or financial relations with him, to prohibit all communications between their own citizens and the citizens of the state that has violated the Charter, and to cut off financial, commercial or personal communications between the citizens of this state and the citizens of any other state, whether it is a Member of the League or not. .2. In this case, the Council is bound to propose to the various Governments concerned that strength of military, sea or air force by which the Members of the League shall, as appropriate, participate in the armed forces intended to maintain respect for the obligations of the League.
3. The Members of the League furthermore agree to give each other mutual support in the application of the financial and economic measures to be taken by virtue of this Article, in order to reduce to a minimum the losses and inconveniences which may result therefrom. They likewise give mutual support to counter any special measure directed against one of them by a state that has violated the Charter. They make the necessary arrangements for facilitating the passage through
their territory to the forces of any Member of the League participating in the common action, in order to maintain respect for the obligations of the League.4. Any Member found guilty of violating one of the obligations arising from the Charter may be expelled from the League. The exception is decided by the votes of all other members of the League represented in the Council.
1. In the event of a dispute between two States, of which only one is a Member of the League, or of which neither is a member of it, the State or States outside the League shall be invited to submit to the obligations incumbent on its Members, for the purpose of settling the dispute on terms, deemed fair by the Council.
If this invitation is accepted, the provisions of Articles 1216 shall apply, subject to modifications deemed necessary by the Council.2. After this invitation has been sent, the Council shall open an inquiry into the circumstances of the dispute and propose such measure as seems to it the best and most effective in the present case.
3. If the invited State, refusing to assume the duties of a Member of the League for the purpose of settling a dispute, resorts to war against a Member of the League, the provisions of Article
16. 4. If both invited parties refuse to assume the duties of a Member of the League for the purpose of settling the dispute, then the Council may take all measures and make any proposals that can prevent hostile actions and lead to a solution of the conflict.Any international treaties or international obligations entered into in the future by a Member of the League must be immediately registered with the Secretariat and published as soon as possible. None of these international treaties or agreements will not become binding until registered.
The Assembly may from time to time invite the Members of the League to reconsider treaties which have become inapplicable, and international provisions the preservation of which could endanger the peace of the world.
1. The Members of the League acknowledge each, insofar as it concerns him, that this Statute supersedes all obligations or agreements
inter se incompatible with its terms, and solemnly undertake not to enter into such in the future.2. If, before joining the League, a Member has assumed obligations inconsistent with the terms of the Charter, then he must take immediate measures to free himself from these obligations.
International obligations, such as arbitration treaties, and agreements limited to known areas, such as the Monroe Doctrine, which ensure the preservation of peace, shall not be considered inconsistent with any of the provisions of this Charter.
1. The following principles apply to colonies and territories which, as a result of war, have ceased to be under the sovereignty of the states that previously ruled them, and which are inhabited by peoples who are not yet capable of self-governing themselves in especially difficult conditions modern world. The well-being and development of these peoples is the sacred mission of civilization, and it is appropriate to include guarantees for the fulfillment of this mission in the present Charter.
2. The best method to put this principle into practice is to entrust the guardianship of these peoples to the advanced nations [...] who are willing to accept it: they would exercise this guardianship in their capacity as Mandatory and in the name of the League.
3. The nature of the mandate must vary according to the degree of development of the people, geographic location territory, its economic conditions and any other similar circumstances. [...]
7. In all cases, the Mandatory shall send to the Council an annual report concerning the territories assigned to him. [...]
In compliance with the regulations international agreements which are now in existence or which will be subsequently concluded, and in agreement with them, the Members of the League:
(a) endeavor to secure and maintain just and humane working conditions for men, women and children in their own territories, as well as in all countries to which their commercial and industrial relations extend. [...]
1. All international bureaus, previously established collective agreements, will, subject to the consent of the Parties, be placed under the leadership of the League. Any other international bureaus and any commissions for settling cases of international importance which are subsequently set up will be placed under the leadership of the League. [...]
Published by: Satow E. Guide to Diplomatic Practice. M., Gospolitizdat, 1947.
April 18, 2011 marks the 65th anniversary of the decision to liquidate the League of Nations.
On April 18, 1946, the League of Nations, an international intergovernmental organization established in 1919 to develop cooperation between peoples and guarantee their peace and security, ceased to exist due to the formation of the UN.
The Charter of the League of Nations, worked out by a special commission created at the Paris Peace Conference (1919-1920), and included in the Treaty of Versailles (1919) and other peace treaties that ended the First World War (1914-1918), was originally signed with 44 states, including 31 states that took part in the war on the side of the Entente or joined it and 13 states that remained neutral during the war. The United States did not ratify the charter of the League of Nations and did not become a member of it.
The total number of members of the League of Nations varied within 45-60 states.
The USSR joined the League of Nations in 1934. In December 1939, after the outbreak of the Soviet-Finnish war (1939-1940), the Council of the League expelled the USSR from the League of Nations.
The structure, functions and powers of the League were defined in its Charter.
The main bodies of the League of Nations were the Assembly - an annual meeting of representatives of all members of the organization and the Council of the League of Nations (it met 107 times during its existence) - consisting of permanent and non-permanent members periodically elected by the Assembly. Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan were permanent members of the Council, and after joining the organization (respectively in 1926 and 1934) - Germany and the USSR. The Assembly and the Council met in Geneva. The Secretariat of the League of Nations, headed by the Secretary General, also worked there.
In addition to the main organs, the League of Nations also had auxiliary ones in the form of permanent and temporary commissions. There were also autonomous bodies (for example, the International Labor Organization, the Permanent Court of International Justice, etc.).
The official languages of the League of Nations were French and English.
The most important articles of the Charter of the League of Nations were Art. 8, 10-17 and 22. Article 8 declared the need to limit national armaments "to the minimum compatible with national security and with the fulfillment of international obligations imposed by the general action." Such a definition opened up unlimited possibilities for an arms race.
In Art. 10 proclaimed the principle of mutual guarantee of the territorial integrity of the member countries of the League of Nations. It was this article that caused the main objections in the US Senate, which refused to ratify the League's charter.
Any war or threat of war was, according to the statute, to cause the League of Nations to take measures "capable of effectively protecting the peace of nations" (Article 11).
Art. 12-15 determined the procedure for resolving disputes through arbitration or by consideration in the Council of the League of Nations. This procedure was very complicated, if the Council did not reach unanimity on the issue of the dispute, the members of the League of Nations reserved "the right to do as they see fit ..."
In Art. 14 The Council was instructed to prepare a draft of the Permanent Court of International Justice, which is obliged to resolve all disputes of an international nature referred to it.
Article 16 dealt with sanctions imposed on a State that committed an act of aggression. All members of the League of Nations were obliged to break commercial and financial relations with this state. The Council of the League of Nations was also obliged to determine the contingents of land, sea and air forces to be put up by each member of the League "in order to maintain respect for the obligations of the League."
In 1921, the Council of the League of Nations adopted a resolution stating that economic sanctions should be the main weapon in the fight against the aggressor.
The Charter of the League of Nations also provided for the intervention of the League in disputes between states that are not its members (Article 17). If a state that is not a member of the League of Nations participating in a dispute refuses to take measures to resolve it, proposed by the Council of the League, and resorts to war against one of the members of the League, then the economic and military sanctions provided for in Art. 16.
Article 22 established the administration of the former German and Turkish territories in the Arab East, Africa and the Pacific.
The League of Nations has achieved certain successes in the social and humanitarian fields, in the field of international economic policy and financial regulation, international communications and the transit system, in improving the health care system in many countries of the world, scientific cooperation, codification of international law, preparation of conferences on disarmament and other social and humanitarian areas.
Control was established over the spread of opium and the slave trade (mainly by women). In addition, significant progress has been made in protecting the rights and interests of young people. The League was closely connected with its legal body - the Permanent Court of International Justice, which had its own structure and made independent decisions. In addition, the League worked closely with many international organizations that did not have formal or historical ties with it.
Despite the fact that the League managed to resolve - to varying degrees successfully - more than 40 political conflicts, it was unable to take effective measures to ensure international security. This was most clearly manifested with the beginning of the preparations of Germany, Japan and Italy for the Second World War.
In 1933, Germany and Japan announced their withdrawal from the League of Nations (Italy followed suit in 1937). This rendered meaningless the provisions of the Statute on the reduction of the Armed Forces of the members of the League of Nations and on the exchange of information between them about their military potentials, as well as on the organization of control over the production of weapons and trade in them. The only concrete step of the League of Nations aimed at curbing the act of aggression was the decision to partially limit Italy's foreign economic relations during the Italo-Ethiopian war (1935-1941), which, however, did not affect the country's military potential. Japan's aggression in Manchuria (1931-1933) and the invasion of its troops deep into China (1937-1939) were condemned by the League only verbally. The League of Nations did not consider, in essence, the question of the German-Italian intervention in Spain in 1936-1939.
In 1938-1939. The League did not react to the fact that Germany captured Austria, Czechoslovakia and the Klaipeda region and attacked Poland, unleashing the 2nd World War, and also to the fact that Italy annexed Albania.
The provisions of the Statute on the protection by each member of the League of Nations of the territorial integrity and political independence of its other members and on the creation of a joint armed forces from the national military contingents of members of the League of Nations remained unrealized.
On April 8, 1946, the last Assembly of the League of Nations was convened in Geneva. The delegates adopted a resolution on the transfer of power and functions of the League to the United Nations, divided the League's reserve fund among the contributing countries, and handed over to the UN the Palace of Nations with a library and archive.
(Additional
an international organization (established in 1919) aimed at developing cooperation among peoples and guaranteeing peace and security. Location - Geneva. In 1934 the USSR accepted the offer of 30 member states of the League of Nations to join this organization. In December 1939, after the start of the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-40, the Council of the League expelled the USSR from the League of Nations (Brazil (1928), Japan, Germany (1935) left the League of Nations, Italy was expelled in 1937. Formally dissolved in 1946.
Great Definition
Incomplete definition ↓
THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS
an international organization that existed between the first and second world wars. The idea of creating L. n. arose during the First World War, when severe disasters and victims suffered by the warring peoples contributed to the widespread spread of pacifism. Projects international organization appeared almost simultaneously in various countries(in Switzerland, England, Holland and the USA). The popularity of the slogan about the creation of L. n. used by the President of the United States wilson(see), when he included the requirement of the organization L. n. in their "Fourteen Points", published on 8. I 1918. Each of the major victorious countries sought to take into their own hands the matter of preparing the charter of the future international organization. In England, by May 1918, Lord Filimore had developed a draft charter, which was submitted by the British government to President Wilson. In the US, this project has undergone a complete redesign. Gen. Smuts and Robert Cecil. In the Smuts project, the so-called. mandated system of government of the former German colonies and territories departing from the Ottoman Empire. Arriving in Europe in December 1918, Wilson collected all the draft regulations for the L.N. and based on them developed in January 1919 his second version of the charter. On January 25, 1919, at the plenary session of the Paris Peace Conference, a special commission was set up under the chairmanship of V. Wilson to draw up the charter of the L.N. (According to the place of her work, she was called the "commission of the Hotel Crillon"). During the work of this commission, the French also took an active part in the discussion. The delegate of France, Leon Bourgeois, presented his draft charter, which provided for the creation under L. n. international military force and a permanent general staff. By introducing this project, the French, who at that time had the strongest army in Western Europe, expected to play a decisive role in the creation and management of international troops and to subordinate the new organization to their plans for hegemony on the continent. Wilson, supported by the British, rejected the Bourgeois project. 14. II 1919 at the plenary session of the Paris Peace Conference, Wilson made a report on the completion of the "commission of the Hotel Crillon." The draft charter proposed by the commission was approved by the conference and included integral part in Treaty of Versailles(see) and other peace treaties of the Versailles system (Saint-Germain, Trianon, Neuilly and Sevres). The charter was signed by 44 states, including 31 "original members" of the League - the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, Australia, the Union of South Africa, New Zealand, India, China, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Greece, Haiti, Hejaz, Honduras, Liberia, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Yugoslavia, Siam, Czechoslovakia, Uruguay - and 13 states that did not participate in the war but were invited to sign the charter - Argentina , Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Paraguay, Netherlands, Iran, El Salvador, Sweden, Switzerland and Venezuela. Structure L. n. Activity L. n. was carried out by the Assembly, the Council of L. n. and a permanent Secretariat headed by the Secretary General. According to the charter of L. n. the competence of the Assembly and the Council included for the most part the same issues; a number of issues were exclusively within the competence of the Assembly (the admission of new members, the election of members of the Council, the approval of the budget of the L.N.). The sessions of the Assembly took place annually in September; Extraordinary sessions could be convened on the initiative of one or more members of the L. N., if this initiative was supported by a majority of the members of the L. N. Council L. n. according to the charter, it was composed of five permanent members - delegates from the United States (the charter of L. n. was not ratified by the American Senate, and the United States did not enter the League), Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan - and four non-permanent members elected for a fixed term. Subsequently, the composition and number of members of the Council changed; also introduced the category of semi-permanent members of the Council, who had the right to re-election for new term . On September 18, 1934, when the Soviet Union entered Leningrad N., he received a permanent seat on the Soviet. All decisions of the Assembly and Council of L. N., with the exception of decisions on procedural issues, were to be taken unanimously; for decisions of a procedural nature, a simple majority was sufficient. When arguing a dispute between two parties who are members of the Council of L. n., their votes were not taken into account when making a decision. Great Britain and France used the rule of unanimity in deciding political issues for their own purposes. Wishing to prevent the adoption of any decree aimed at protecting peace and security, and at the same time not to compromise themselves, these two countries usually put forward one of the small states dependent on them as opponents of such a decree. The permanent body of L. n. was the General Secretariat. Under an unspoken agreement between Great Britain and France, the general secretaries and their first deputies were to be nominated only from representatives of these two countries, so that under an English general secretary, the first deputy would be a Frenchman, and vice versa. The official languages of L. n. French and English were considered. In addition to the main organs of L. n. It also had auxiliary in the form of permanent and temporary commissions. There were also autonomous bodies (for example, the International Labor Organization, the Permanent Court of International Justice, etc.). The location of the main organs of L. n. was Geneva. The most important articles of the charter were Art. 8, 10-17 and 22. Art. 8 declared the need to limit national armaments "to the minimum compatible with national security and with the fulfillment of international obligations imposed by the general action." Such a definition opened up unlimited possibilities for an arms race. In Art. 10 proclaimed the principle of mutual guarantee of the territorial integrity of the countries - members of the L. n. It was this article that caused the main objections in the US Senate, which refused to ratify the charter of L. n. Any war or threat of war was, according to the charter, to cause from L. n. measures "capable of effectively protecting the peace of nations" (Article 11). Art. 12-15 determined the procedure for resolving disputes with the help of arbitration or by consideration in the Council of L. n. This procedure was very difficult; in the event that unanimity is not reached in the Council on the issue of the dispute, the members of the L. n. reserved "the right to do as they see fit..." In Art. 14 The Council was instructed to prepare a draft of the Permanent Court of International Justice, which is obliged to resolve all disputes of an international nature referred to it. Art. 16 dealt with the sanctions imposed on the state that committed an act of aggression. All members of L. n. were obliged to break trade and financial relations with this state. Council L. n. was also obliged to determine the contingents of land, sea, and air forces that each member of the L. n. "to maintain respect for the obligations of the League." In 1921 the Council of L. n. adopted a resolution stating that economic sanctions should be the main weapon in the fight against the aggressor. Charter L. n. also provided for the intervention of the League in disputes between states that are not its members (Article 17). If a state that is not a member of the League of Nations participating in a dispute refuses to take measures to resolve it, proposed by the Council of the League of Nations, and resorts to war against one of the members of the League, then the economic and military sanctions provided for by Art. 16. Art. 22 established the procedure for governing the former German and Turkish territories in the Arab East, Africa and the Pacific Ocean (see. mandate system). At the request of Wilson, it was specifically stipulated (in Art. 21) that the Monroe Doctrine was not considered incompatible with the charter of L. n. Activity L. n. in 1920-34. During this period of existence of L. n. its activities were clearly hostile to the Soviet Union. In 1920-21 L. n. was one of the centers for organizing armed intervention against the Soviet state. At the meetings of L. n. in 1921, plans were discussed to use the famine in part of the territory of the RSFSR as a means of putting pressure on the Soviet Republic. After the White Finnish gangs were driven back from Eastern Karelia, L. n. tried to provide diplomatic support to Finland. During Poland's attack on Soviet Russia, L. n. not only did not interfere with this aggressive act, but encouraged members of the L. to send n. military materials and advisers to help Poland and tried to send a mission to Soviet Russia that was clearly of a military intelligence nature. In all actions directed against the Soviet people, L. n. showed extraordinary perseverance and efficiency. When it came to maintaining peace and security, L. N., as a rule, turned out to be completely powerless to take any effective measures aimed at resolving international conflicts. "The League of Nations," said V. I. Lenin in 1922, "bears all the features of its origin from the World War to such an extent, is so inextricably linked with the Treaty of Versailles, is so saturated through and through with the absence of anything resembling a real establishment of the equality of nations, on real chances of peaceful cohabitation between them, which, it seems to me, our negative attitude towards the League of Nations is understandable and does not require further comment. During the period from 1920 to 1934 L. n. dealt with dozens of issues. The most important of these were: the dispute between Sweden and Finland over the Åland Islands (see. Åland conventions) plebiscite in Upper Silesia, delimitation of the borders of Albania, Yugoslavia and Greece, conflict in 1923 between Italy and Greece on the question of Fr. Corfu (see Corfu incident), the conflict between Lithuania and Poland in connection with the capture of Vilna by the Poles, the conflict between Turkey and Iraq over Mosul (see. Mosul conflict) conflict between Bolivia and Paraguay over the Chaco Chaco conflict), Sino-Japanese conflict (cf. Lytton Commission) and others. The fruitless activity of L. n also belongs to the same period. in the field of disarmament. The USSR, which at that time was not yet part of the L.N., was the only state that consistently fought in the L.N. organs for real disarmament (see preparatory commission, international Conference 1932 -35). L. n. was the arena of the struggle for dominance on the European continent between England and France. In the first years of the existence of L. n. both of these powers tried to use the League as an instrument to maintain the Versailles system. After the Locarno Conference and Germany's entry into L. n. (September 1926), when the collapse of the Versailles system was indicated, the desire of each of these states to use Germany in their own interests intensified. At the same time, Germany's invitation to L. n. was caused by the anti-Soviet plans of the powers that ruled the League. L. n. failed to resolve most of the issues that were discussed in its bodies. The impotence of L. N. was especially clearly manifested when, in connection with the Japanese attack on Manchuria, a most dangerous center of war was formed on Far East. L. n. acted in this case so slowly and indecisively that the Japanese aggressors captured Manchuria without encountering any obstacles. By 1932-33 the situation in Europe had also changed. The German imperialists, whom the Anglo-French politicians dreamed of using for their anti-Soviet purposes, themselves used the L.N. and rivalry between the dominant powers. Under the cover of the pacifist phraseology of their diplomats in L. n. Germany began, step by step, to undermine the foundations of the Treaty of Versailles and began to rebuild its military power. In early 1933, the Nazis came to power in Germany, making no secret of their aggressive plans. On March 27, 1933, Japan, citing its disagreement with the conclusions of the Lytton Commission, defiantly withdrew from L. n. Following it, on October 14, 1933, having failed to obtain the consent of the powers to the abolition of the military articles of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany also announced its withdrawal from the L. n. The entry of the USSR into L. n. In the alarming atmosphere of those years, the struggle of the Soviet government for peace and collective security attracted the sympathy of the peoples. Those of the European politicians who at that moment expected to create a barrier against German aggression with the help of the USSR turned their eyes to the Soviet Union. At the initiative of French diplomacy, which was then headed by Bart(see), 15. X 1934 thirty member states of L. n. turned to the Soviet Union with an invitation to join the League; four states declined to sign the invitation, but said they would vote to accept the USSR. The position of the USSR in relation to L. n. was determined at the end of 1933 by JV Stalin in his conversation with the correspondent of the American newspaper The New York Times, V. Duranty. I. V. Stalin noted that, despite all the colossal shortcomings of L. N., the Soviet Union would support it, “if the League can turn out to be a kind of hillock on the way to at least somewhat complicating the cause of war and to some extent facilitating the cause of peace ..." The Soviet government accepted the invitation to join the Leningrad N., and on 18. IX. 1934 the Assembly of L. N. decided to accept the USSR into the League and include its representative in the Council of L. n. as permanent member(Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland voted against the adoption of the USSR). In its response to the invitation, the Soviet government also noted that, since Art. 12 and 13 of the charter of L. and. provide for an appeal to arbitration and judicial resolution of issues, the government of the USSR "deems it necessary to clarify now that, in its opinion, conflicts that relate to facts that took place before its entry into the League should not fall under the aforementioned methods of regulation." Activity L. n. in 1935-40. L. n. during this period, she dealt with the following major issues: 1) Italian aggression against Ethiopia; 2) violation by Germany of the Versailles and Locarno treaties (in connection with the remilitarization of the Rhine zone); 3) the Italo-German intervention in Spain. 1) The Italo-Ethiopian conflict began on 6.XII 1934, when Italian troops invaded 100 km deep into Ethiopia. Ethiopia's appeal to L. n. didn't give any results. In connection with the continued concentration of Italian troops on the borders of Ethiopia, the latter on 11. V 1935 again turned to L. n. In order to gain time and hinder the discussion of the issue in L. N., Mussolini proposed the creation of an arbitration commission. The commission was created, but could not come to any decision, since England and France, pursuing a policy of "non-intervention" and encouraging the aggressors, were in secret collusion with Mussolini. Both powers gave Italy consent to the seizure of Ethiopia (see. , Stresa Conference 1965). The same reasons explain the fact that at the next Assembly of the LN, which met from 7. IX to 2. X 1935, no decisions were made on measures to prevent Italian aggression. 3.X Italy opened hostilities against Ethiopia. Public opinion the whole world was outraged. A number of member states of the Leningrad N., and primarily the USSR, demanded that Art. 16 of the charter of L. n., that is, sanctions. The newly assembled Assembly on 9. X decided to impose sanctions on Italy. However, the most important Italian import needed for warfare, oil, was not on the list of items prohibited from being imported into Italy. England refused to close the Suez Canal, the only route from Italy to Ethiopia. As a result, by May 1936, Italy had completed the capture of Ethiopia. At the insistence of England and France in July 1936 the Assembly of L. n. lifted the sanctions. Later, in 1938, Britain and France recognized Italy's sovereignty over Ethiopia. Only the Soviet Union "took a special principled position in the Italo-Abyssinian war, alien to any imperialism, alien to any policy of colonial conquest" (V. M. Molotov). During the discussion on the lifting of sanctions, the Soviet delegation, headed by M. M. Litvinov, made a number of specific proposals aimed at strengthening collective security and transforming L. n. into an effective instrument of peace and security. In accordance with these proposals, any state that committed aggression against one of the members of the L. n. was considered to be in a state of war with all the other members of the L. n. To consider this and other Soviet proposals aimed at improving the charter of L. N., a commission was created, which, thanks to the sabotage of England and France, worked for two years with absolutely no results. 2) 7. III 1936 Germany sent its troops into the demilitarized Rhine zone, violating the Versailles and Locarno treaties, the French and British governments were inactive. England entered into negotiations with Germany; 12. III the British proposed to convene the Council of L. n. in London with the participation of Germany. 14. III meetings of the Council opened. The representatives of France, England and Belgium refused to consider the action of the German government as a threat to peace, they proposed that the remilitarization of the Rhine zone be considered only a violation of the Versailles and Locarno treaties. In addition, in connection with Germany's attacks on the 1935 Soviet-French Mutual Assistance Treaty, all three powers proposed that the issue of compatibility of this treaty with the Locarno agreements be referred to the Hague Tribunal for consideration. This was direct support for the aggressor. Soviet delegate 17. III at a meeting of the Council of L. n. noted that the preservation of peace requires the adoption of collective measures against the aggressors, that connivance with the aggressors will only lead to new demands on their part. Despite the fact that the USSR did not participate in the Locarno Treaty, the Soviet government declared its readiness to participate "in all measures that will be proposed to the Council of the League by the Locarno powers and will be acceptable to other members of the Council." Sentence Soviet Union did not find, however, a response from the Anglo-French "appeasers", who even then were counting on the use of Germany against the USSR. 3) In July 1936, Germany and Italy took an active part in organizing the fascist uprising in Spain and immediately began a broad intervention in that country. The Spanish republican government raised the question of Italian-German intervention at the Assembly of L. n. in September 1936. However, the states in charge of the League decided to remove this issue from the jurisdiction of L. n. and to this end they created a special committee for non-intervention in Spanish affairs. According to the plan of its founders, the committee was to serve as a front for the continuation of the Italo-German intervention against Spanish democracy (see. non-intervention). Only the Soviet Union raised its voice in L. n. in defense of the Spanish Republic. The attitude of the Soviet Union towards the struggle of the Spanish people was expressed by I. V. Stalin in a well-known telegram dated 16.X.1936 to the leader of the Spanish Communist Party, José Diaz: Spain from the oppression of the fascist reactionaries is not a private affair of the Spaniards, but a common cause of all advanced and progressive mankind. At an emergency session of the Council of L. n. In December 1936, the Soviet delegate V. P. Potemkin demanded that urgent measures be taken against the intervention of the fascist powers. 28. V 1937 M. M. Litvinov also called on the Council of L. n. immediately take measures to curb the aggression. The Soviet delegation at the Assembly L. n. in September 1937, in connection with the discussion of the Spanish question, she sharply protested against the fact that the “League of Nations, designed to guarantee the integrity of the states that are its members, to protect peace and international order, to ensure the observance of non-violation of international treaties and respect for international law, remains aloof from these events, not reacting to them. "But, true to their policy of "non-interference", England and France tried "not to irritate" the aggressors and again transferred the whole matter to the notorious " with the direct connivance of the Western powers, the fascist aggressors destroyed the Spanish Republic and created in Spain a hotbed of fascism and aggression. in the League sought to bypass the acts of aggression, which one after another were committed by Italy, Japan, Germany. Such an act of aggression as the seizure of Austria by Germany did not even give rise to discussion in the League. "The disappearance of the Austrian state," declared the Soviet delegate to the League, "passed unnoticed for the League of Nations." Encouraged by the connivance of the Western powers, the German imperialists planned for themselves another victim - Czechoslovakia. Despite the so-called. the Sudeten crisis and the concentration of German troops on the Czechoslovak border, the question of Czechoslovakia was not included in the agenda of the Assembly of L. n. in September 1938. Speaking at the Assembly of L. n. 21. IX, the representative of the USSR sharply criticized the behavior of England and France, forcing Czechoslovakia to capitulate to the demand of the aggressor. “To avoid a problematic war today and obtain a sure and comprehensive war tomorrow, and even at the cost of satisfying the appetites of insatiable aggressors and destroying and mutilating sovereign states, does not mean acting in the spirit of the League of Nations pact. to reward and encourage offensive super-imperialism in hitherto unheard-of forms does not mean acting in the spirit of the Kellogg-Briand pact," said the Soviet delegate. A few days later, the shameful Munich Agreement(cm.). L. n. and in this case remained passive and indifferent. The policy of "appeasement" of the aggressors and "non-intervention" pursued by the ruling circles of Britain and France with the support of American reactionaries led them to a serious failure. Despite the fact that Czechoslovakia was given to Germany as the price for an attack on the USSR, this attack did not take place then. The Soviet government timely unraveled the treacherous tactics of the British and French governments. 23. VIII 1939 was signed Soviet-German treaty(see) about non-aggression. Having been deceived in their calculations, the Anglo-French politicians used the Soviet-Finnish conflict of 1939-40 as a pretext and, with the help of a specially selected composition of the Council of L. n. carried out the exclusion of the USSR from the League (14. X11 1939). L.N., having not ruled out a single aggressor in her 20 years of activity, made this decision with extraordinary haste, directed against the only consistent defender of peace and security. The TASS report on the exclusion of the USSR said: “The very situation in which the League of Nations resolution directed against the USSR was prepared and passed exposes the scandalous machinations resorted to by the Anglo-French representatives in the League of Nations to achieve this goal. As you know, the Council of the League of nations consists of 15 members, but for the resolution on the "expulsion" of the USSR, only 7 votes were cast out of these 15, i.e., the resolution was adopted by a minority of the members of the Council of the League. The remaining 8 members of the Council are either abstaining or absent. .. Randomly selected "representatives" of 127 million people "excluded" the USSR with its 183 million population." The "exclusion" of the USSR was the last act of L. n. Since then, her activities have ceased. Formally L. n. It was dissolved in April 1946 by a resolution of a specially convened Assembly.
The League of Nations (The League of Nations) is an international organization that, according to its charter, had as its goal "the development of cooperation between peoples and the guarantee of their peace and security." The Charter of the League of Nations, worked out by a special commission established at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919–1920 and included in the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919 and other peace treaties that ended the First World War, was originally signed by 44 states, including 31 states , who took part in the war on the side of the Entente or joined it, and 13 states that remained neutral during the war. The United States did not ratify the charter of the League of Nations and did not become a member of it.
The main bodies of the League of Nations were: the Assembly (all members of the League of Nations participated in its work; Assembly sessions were held annually in September), the Council of the League of Nations (originally consisted of 4 permanent members representing Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan (later Germany was added to them and the USSR) and 4 non-permanent members (subsequently their number also changed) and a permanent secretariat headed by the Secretary General. All decisions of the Assembly and the Council, with the exception of decisions on procedural matters, were to be taken unanimously (by consensus). Under the League of Nations, as autonomous organizations, the Permanent Court of International Justice, the International Labor Organization, etc. were created.The main bodies of the League of Nations were located in Geneva (Switzerland).
The organizational prerequisites for the creation of an international organization of this magnitude were the activities of such organizations as the Universal Postal Union (founded in 1874), the Red Cross, the Hague Conferences, and the Permanent Court of Arbitration (the Hague Tribunal). The League of Nations became the embodiment of the ideas expressed at the final stage of the First World War by prominent politicians and public figures- Jan Schmutz, Lord Robert Cecil, Leon Bourgeois. The then US President Woodrow Wilson included the proposal to establish an international organization (League) in his "14 points", voiced in his address to the US Congress on January 8, 1918. V. Wilson actively participated in the Paris Conference of 1919, at which it was decided to creation of the League of Nations.
The Charter of the League of Nations consisted of 26 articles. The first 7 articles dealt with the organizational structure of the League. The Assembly and the Council of the League of Nations were authorized to discuss "any question concerning the activities of the League or concerning the fate of peace throughout the world." Articles 8 and 9 recognized the need for disarmament and the creation of military commissions. Article 10 was an attempt to guarantee the territorial integrity and political independence of the member states of the League from external aggression. Articles 11 to 17 spoke of the establishment of a Permanent International Court of Justice for arbitration and conciliation, and for the application of sanctions against aggressors. The remaining articles of the Charter of the League of Nations dealt with international treaties, the administration of "mandatory territories" (former colonies), international cooperation and humanitarian action, as well as the procedure for amending the charter.
If initially the states that won the First World War (with the exception of the United States, whose Senate did not ratify the Treaty of Versailles), as well as most neutral countries, became members of the League of Nations, later other states joined it: Bulgaria (1920), Austria (1920) , Hungary (1922), Germany (1926), Mexico (1931), Turkey (1932). In the mid 1930s. In connection with the growing threat from Germany, Italy and Japan, 30 member states of the League of Nations turned to the USSR with a proposal to join the League of Nations. On September 18, 1934, the USSR became a member of the League of Nations and took a permanent seat in its Council.
In the early years of its existence, the League of Nations managed to resolve the dispute between Sweden and Finland over the Åland Islands (1920-1921), guarantee the security of Albania (1921), save Austria from economic disasters, resolve the issue of the division of Upper Silesia (1922), prevent the outbreak of war on Balkans between Greece and Bulgaria (1925). At the same time, under the auspices of the League of Nations, a redistribution of the colonies was actually carried out (the so-called question of the management of mandated territories).
In the 1930s among the issues discussed were: the Italian aggression against Ethiopia (1935-1936), the violation by Germany of the Versailles (1919) and Locarno (1925) treaties (in connection with the remilitarization of the Rhine zone by Germany in 1936), the Italo-German intervention in Spain (1936-1939) , the capture of Austria by Germany (1938) and others.
The League of Nations provided significant assistance to refugees, helped eradicate the slave trade and the opium trade, conducted the first public health surveys of its kind, provided financial assistance to countries in need, and promoted international cooperation in labor and employment, as well as in other areas.
However, over time, the effectiveness of the organization began to decline markedly. Thus, Poland refused to obey the requirements of the League of Nations in the dispute over Vilnius. The League of Nations was forced to remain an outside observer during the French occupation of the Ruhr (1923) and the Italian occupation of Corfu (1923). The failure to take any serious action against the Japanese invasion of Manchuria (1931) damaged the prestige and reputation of the League of Nations, especially in connection with the withdrawal of Japan from the League of Nations in 1933. Another serious setback was the failure of the League of Nations to end the war of Bolivia and Paraguay (1932–1935). After the start of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. on the initiative of Great Britain and France, the Council of the League of Nations on December 14, 1939, decided to expel the USSR from the League of Nations.
By 1940, the League of Nations had virtually ceased its activities. A small part of the former apparatus of employees remained at the headquarters of the organization in Geneva, a number of technical services were transferred to the USA and Canada. The International Labor Organization (ILO) continued to exist independently of the League of Nations and subsequently became one of the specialized agencies of the United Nations system. Officially, the League of Nations ceased to exist in April 1946 in accordance with the decision of a specially convened Assembly.
The historical significance of the League of Nations consisted in the very creation of a model of an international organization of sovereign states, which served as the basis for the creation of the UN. The experience of creating the League of Nations was used in the creation of other organizations of states, in particular the European Economic Community, European Union, Council of Europe, etc. The failures of the League of Nations can be explained by the unwillingness of the great powers to sacrifice their own interests, the unwillingness of most people at that time to accept the idea of a supranational policy, as well as the lack of effective mechanisms for the League of Nations to ensure the implementation of its own decisions and leverage on sovereign states. At that time, only the first steps were taken in establishing cooperation between people and nations outside the framework of interstate relations.
