Leah Stein
Per. 4- April 16
AP Group Study Project
League of Nations/ United Nations
League of Nations
 An association of countries established in 1919 by the Treaty of Versailles to
promote international cooperation and achieve international peace and
security. It was powerless to stop Italian, German, and Japanese
expansionism leading to World War II and was replaced by the United
Nations in 1945.
 United States president Woodrow Wilson proposed the idea of a League of
Nations; a world organization to safeguard the peace and foster international
cooperation.
 The League of Nations began because of the international conflicts with
Europe during World War I. Its purpose was “to promote international
cooperation and to achieve peace and security”. It also attempted to supply
some grounds of international law.
 The League of Nations started in 1919 and was able to negotiate an
agreement between Finland and Sweden in a dispute over the Aland Islands,
but was unable to prevent another war from occurring (WWII). Many lost
faith in the power and ability of the League when Japan invaded and
conquered Manchuria in February of 1932. It took the League of Nations
nearly a year to send a commission and declare that Japan had to leave and
the League couldn't even send an army. It dissolved in 1946 when it was
replaced by the United Nations.
 The original members of the League of Nations were France, Great Britain,
Italy, and Japan. The United States Senate refused to ratify the Treaty of
Versailles, and weren’t admitted into the League. Many other countries
joined the League later on, and Geneva, Switzerland was chosen as the
headquarters for the League. All countries were affected by the League of
Nations because its purpose was to keep peace throughout the world.
 The League of Nations was replaced by the United Nations which still stands
strong today. There are many sub-organizations within the United Nations
including The World Bank, The World Health Organization, The International
Atomic Energy Agency, and the International Monetary Fund. Many smaller
unions and international organizations exist too.
United Nations
 An international organization of countries set up in 1945, in succession to the
League of Nations, to promote international peace, security, and cooperation.
Its members, originally the countries that fought against the Axis powers in
World War II, now number more than 190 and include most sovereign states





of the world.
The term "United Nations" was first coined in 1942 by United States
president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, in the Declaration by United Nations. This
declaration was made to officially state the cooperation of the Allies (Great
Britain, the United States, and the Union of Soviet Socialists Republic) and
other nations during World War II. The UN was not officially founded until
1945 when the Charter of the United Nations was drafted at the UN
Conference on International Organization in San Francisco, California. The
conference was attended by 50 nations and several non-governmental
organizations - all of which signed the Charter. The UN officially came into
existence on October 24, 1945 after ratification of the Charter.
The United Nations began because the League of Nations failed in preventing
World War II from occurring. The United Nations was created to act as a
better, more affective international organization than the League of Nations
was.
Representatives from the United States, China, Great Britain, the Soviet
Union, and France finalized the majority of the Charter’s provisions in 1944,
before WWII was even over. The final version solidified in San Fransico in
1945. Through the years, and still today, the United Nations has kept peace,
prevented wars, protected human rights, and has provided humanitarian
assistance around the world.
The United States, China, Great Britain, The Soviet Union, and France were
the original members of the United Nations. Today, 193 out of the 196
countries in the world are members of the United Nations. The United
Nations continuously helps all countries around the world in whatever ways
possible.
The United Nations is still going strong today and has many suborganizations within it, including: The World Bank, The World Health
Organization, The International Atomic Energy Agency, and the International
Monetary Fund. Many smaller unions and international organizations exist
too.