United Nations Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Background (pre-1941) === In the century prior to the UN's creation, several [[international organization]]s such as the [[International Committee of the Red Cross]] were formed to ensure protection and assistance for victims of armed conflict and strife.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.icrc.org/en/document/history-icrc|title=Red Cross-History-Objective|journal=International Committee of the Red Cross|access-date=28 November 2018|date=11 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623005302/https://www.icrc.org/en/document/history-icrc|archive-date=23 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> During [[World War I]], several major leaders, especially American President [[Foreign policy of the Woodrow Wilson administration|Woodrow Wilson]], advocated for a world body to guarantee peace. The winners of the war, the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]], met to decide on formal peace terms at the [[Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920)|Paris Peace Conference]]. The [[League of Nations]] was approved, and started operations, but the [[United States]] never joined. On 10 January 1920, the League of Nations formally came into being when the [[Covenant of the League of Nations]], ratified by 42 nations in 1919, took effect.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/league-of-nations-instituted|title=League of Nations instituted|website=[[history.com]]|access-date=3 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204005625/https://www.history.com/.amp/this-day-in-history/league-of-nations-instituted|archive-date=4 December 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The League Council acted as an executive body directing the Assembly's business. It began with four permanent members—the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]], [[France]], [[Italy]], and [[Japan]]. After some limited successes and failures during the 1920s, the League proved ineffective in the 1930s, as it failed to act against the [[Japanese invasion of Manchuria]] in 1933. Forty nations voted for Japan to withdraw from [[Manchuria]] but Japan voted against it and walked out of the League instead of withdrawing from Manchuria.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.johndclare.net/EL5.htm|title=League of Nations and Manchuria invasion|website=www.johndclare.net|access-date=30 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181127143657/http://www.johndclare.net/EL5.htm|archive-date=27 November 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> It also failed to act against the [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War]], when calls for economic sanctions against Italy failed. Italy and other nations left the League. When [[Causes of World War II|war broke out in 1939]], the League closed down.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://johndclare.net/league_of_nations8.htm|title=Why the League failed|website=johndclare.net|access-date=3 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803231709/http://johndclare.net/league_of_nations8.htm|archive-date=3 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page