History glossary
League of Nations
an international organization created after the First World War to prevent future wars.
- Category
- International organization
- Region
- Global
- Date range
- 1920-1946
What it means
The League of Nations was founded in 1920 as part of the postwar settlement. It aimed to resolve disputes through collective security and diplomacy, but it lacked key powers, the United States never joined, and it failed to stop aggression in the 1930s.
Related terms
Stories using this term
Weimar Republic
A fragile democracy marked by crisis and innovation, whose collapse paved the way for Nazi rule.
The First World War
World War I reshaped empires, borders, and societies, setting the stage for World War II.
The Causes of the Second World War
From the flawed peace of 1919 to the invasion of Poland in 1939, this story traces the interlocking causes of the Second World War across two decades of crisis, ideology, and failed deterrence.
The Treaty of Versailles and Its Consequences
From the armistice of November 1918 to Hitler's rise in 1933, this story traces how the Treaty of Versailles — its punishment, its borders, its reparations, and its resentments — helped shape the conditions for a second world war.
