Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • A historical international organization: The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded in 1920 with the primary aim of maintaining world peace and fostering international cooperation. It was the first worldwide organization dedicated to this purpose. Proposed by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, it was established as part of the Treaty of Versailles. Notably, the United States never became a member. The League was largely ineffective in preventing aggression by major powers and was dissolved in 1946, with many of its functions and assets transferred to the newly formed United Nations.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun:
  • The League of Nations was established after World War I to prevent future conflicts.
  • Despite its ideals, the League of Nations failed to stop the Italian invasion of Ethiopia.
  • The covenant of the League of Nations was a key part of the Treaty of Versailles.

Advanced Usage

• Historical and academic context: The term is used almost exclusively in historical, political science, and international relations contexts to discuss early 20th-century diplomacy, the aftermath of WWI, and the precursors to the modern UN system.
  • Scholars often cite the weaknesses of the League of Nations as lessons for the structure of the United Nations.

Variants and Related Words

• League (noun, in this context): The organization itself; often capitalized when part of the full title.
• The Covenant of the League of Nations: The constitutional charter of the organization.
• League of Nations mandate: A legal status for certain territories transferred from the control of one country to another following WWI, administered under the authority of the League.

Synonyms

• International organization (general term)
• Predecessor to the United Nations (descriptive term highlighting its historical relationship)

Related Phrases

• "The failure of the League of Nations": A common historical phrase used to describe its inability to achieve its core mission of preventing war.
  • The outbreak of World War II is frequently attributed to the failure of the League of Nations.
• "Member state of the League of Nations": Refers to a country that was part of the organization.
  • Great Britain was a founding member state of the League of Nations.

Noun

1. an international organization formed in 1920 to promote cooperation and peace among nations; although suggested by Woodrow Wilson, the United States never joined and it remained powerless; it was dissolved in 1946 after the United Nations was formed