The Failure of the League of Nation (Essay Sample)

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The Failure of the League of Nation
Introduction
After the end of the Word War 1, it was evident that a failure in the international balance of power could have catastrophic consequences. As such, international leaders conceived and actualized the idea of a global body which would check the international balance with a view to preventing a repeat of another world war. The result of such cooperation was the League of Nations, a global body formed with the goal of maintaining peace and order in the world. However, the League of Nations, which comprised superpowers such as Britain, France and Germany, failed to maintain world order and prevent another world war. Lack of commitment from important member countries such as Germany, as well as the failure of the collective security idea includes some of the reasons which crippled the global body, depriving it of the capacity to quell the impending Second World War. In this paper, I will argue that the League of Nations failed to prevent another war because the superpowers in the organization were overlyfocused on their national interest yet ignore a collective global interest.
Failure of the Collective Security Idea
In light of the realities that emerged following the First World War regarding the serious consequences of disrupting the global power system, the nations of the world came up with the idea of collective security. Collective security can be described as machinery which would be used to act jointly, with a view to countering or preventing an attack aimed at disrupting the existing international peace and order (Ebegbulem Joseph 23). As such, the concept envisioned the development and application of collective measure that would be used to deal with threats to global peace. The collective security machinery relied heavily on the commitment of the nations of the world. During the period following the end of the First World War, the League of Nations was the body which was tasked with the role of implementing collective security concept, by uniting nations to implement it. Under the League of Nations, the concept failed terribly. This was because many countries, especially the United States, refused to join the League (Ebegbulem Joseph 23; Dhahran British n.d). In addition, some nations feared that the collective strength of the League would possibly work against their national interests.
What is more, Germany, Italy and Japan contributed to the League’s failure to develop and enforce the collective security (Pearson Education n.d). This is because the three nations openly defined the League’s established rules regarding maintenance of world peace. As already mentioned, the success of the collective security, for which the League of National was the enforcement instrument, was heavily dependent on the collective efforts of the world nations. Open defiance and lack of commitment of powerful nations such as the US had a negative impact on the League efficiency (SSAG n.d). It was as if the League was now powerless. When aggressions increased, the organization could not act effectively, since there was not commitment from the nations, which were busy concentrating on advancing their national interests, while neglecting the global issues of peace and order.
The role of Realism
The idea of realism played a key role in the failure of the League of Nations to prevent another world war. As it were, realism suggests that each nation has a role to guard its interest in a world where the power system is so delicate. According to Schmidt and Dunne (162), each state actor in the global system "is responsible for ensuring their own well-being and survival”. This implies that each nation has a role to work towards advancing its national interests, even if that means foregoing its efforts in the global peace realm. In a world system where there is no particular global authority, each nation considers itself as its own highest seat of power and authority. As such and in light of the realism theory, nations of the world should work within their powers to ensure their own domestic security and socio-economic development. Realists argue that it is imprudent for a nation to place their survival and security on another global actor (such as another country), or an international body such as the League of Nations or the United Nations (Philpott, 213). Morgenthau (3) notes that "the main signpost that helps political realism to find its way through the landscape of international politics is the concept of interest defined in terms of power”. It is worth noting that in light of the power differentials of nations (where different nations have different political and economic powers and influence), a entrusting the safety of a nation on another entity entails a wide range of uncertainties. According to political realism, a nation’s actions should be guided by its interests, with the major goals of increasing, or at least maintaining its powers in a world characterized by differentially powerful nation-states. Quoting Thomas Hobbes, McPherson writes that "…the right of nature is defined as the ‘the liberty each man hath, to use his own power. As he will himself, for the preservation of his own nature; that is to say, of His own life; and consequently, of doing any thing, which in his own judgment, and reason, he shall conceive to be the aptest means thereunoto’" (41).This assertion alludes to the realism beliefs.
In light of the foregoing, it is almost certain realism played a key role in the failure of the League Nations to stop the Second World War. As already mentioned elsewhere in this paper, the League was the main instrument which would be used to develop and enforce the collective security machinery to ensure international peace and order, in which no singular nation-state or alliance dominated the rest. Accordingly, the unity of all nations was necessary. It is not surprising that the failure of all the partners to cooperate and work collectively made it hard for the League to be effective. In many ways, realist ideas contributed to the scenario. For example, the US declined to join the League, although it was highly expected to be part of the global body, considering that the country was a key player in the global power system. The main reason for America’s refusal to be part of the League of Nations can be said to be realism (Schmidt and Dunne, 163-164). For one, the US did not want to involve herself in European matters and conflicts. Instead, the country was keen on its domestic and global interests. In view of the concept of realism, the US wanted to forge her own way by ensuring safety and survival. Clearly, joining the League did not seem to the US that it would do anything to increase her chances of survival and security. As a result, America chose to keep off the global peace and development body, a move which had a far reaching negative impact on the League, which badly needed the US support (SSAG n.d).
Similarly, the open defiance by Germany, Italy and Japan was majorly motivated by the respective nation’s desire to pursue their national interests (Pearson n.d), which they believed would increase their domestic security and safety, as well as their chances of survival in the international realm. As a result Japan’s persistent aggression and defiance culminated in her eventual dismemberment from the League, after which she went ahead to attack China. Aside from weakening the League, Japan’s exit encouraged other Europeans tyrants to experiment the same tactics in Europe and Africa (Pearson Education n.d; SSAG n.d). Japan would later launch a full attack on China in 1937. In view of the realist ideas, Japan’s aggression was informed by her desire to extend her territories and establish herself as a political power in the international stage, with the ultimate goals of ensuring her security and survival (Schmidt and Dunne, 162). Similarly, Italy under Benito Mussolini defied the League’s warning and economic sanctions to go ahead and invade Abyssinia (now Ethiopia), which was then a member nation to the global peace body. Even after the invasion, the League’s further economic sanctions did nothing to stop Italy’s aggression. Italy’s...