WWII & Failure of the League of Nations

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The Start of WWII

Very few people believed Hitler would stay truthful to the Munich Agreement and concern started to quickly build. Hitler then made some decisions that eventually forced the Allies to declare war.

Invasion of Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia began to unravel as soon as the Sudetenland had been conceded.
In March 1939, the Czechoslovakian president was persuaded by Hitler to let German troops enter the country as a last resort to try and 'restore order'.
There was no immediate reaction from France and Britain despite Hitler having clearly broken his side of the deal.

The 'Pact of Steel'

This pact was signed by Germany and Italy in May 1939.
This pact stated that these countries would support one another if war broke out.

The Nazi-Soviet Pact

Despite not trusting the Nazis, Stalin (the Soviet leader) negotiated with them after the Munich Conference.
In August 1939, the USSR and Germany formally agreed to not attack one another by signing the Nazi-Soviet Pact. This pact also included secret plans to divide Poland up between them.

Invasion of Poland

The Nazis invaded Poland on the 1st of September, 1939.
Hitler was ordered to leave by France and Britain.
When Hitler refused, Britain declared war. This happened on the 3rd of September, 1939.

Why Did the League of Nations Fail?

The original aims of keeping peace and promoting international cooperation were not achieved by the League of Nations. Its influence began to decrease after its major failures and eventually fell apart in 1946.

Was the League always bound to fail?

The refusal of the USA to join put Britain and France in a difficult position.
Britain and France were overstretched in trying to financially and militarily support the League by themselves.
The Treaty of Versailles established the League.
- And so had to defend the unpopular Treaty.

Failing of the League

By not initially letting Germany or Russia sign, the League excluded two nations that were capable of big contributions.
The League's ineffective and slow decision-making was a by-product of its clumsy organisational structure.

Bad decisions

The League lacked the strength to counter aggressive moves.
The League failed to appropriately deal with ambitious members.
The Covenant was abused by lots of members.
- Who decided to leave when challenged about their violations.
The League allowed alliances to sneak back into play in place of cooperation.
As soon as faith in the League began to diminish, countries boosted their military capacity in expectation of another war.

Control

The global political situation became much more tense because of The Great Depression of the 1930s.
The weakening of the economies of League members made them less capable of responding to international threats.
- As they were preoccupied with dealing with issues closer to home.
There is also the argument that stopping Hitler and Mussolini was a task too great for any organisation.