The League Did it Right!....Sometimes.

When was the last time you played sports? If you are a sports fanatic then I’m sure you know all about Leagues such as the National Football League, National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, and the National Basketball association (well technically that's not a league but you get my point).  The common theme that exists between all Leagues is opposition. If you are a member of a league your ultimate goal should be to work for the advancement and success of your league. However the entire concept of a League is predicated on the fact that with the formation of different teams comes the rivalries and oppositions that makes sports exciting.  The league of Nations is no different than any other League especially on the topic of opposition. When you have members like France, The U.S, England, and Italy, you are bound to have problems. Which reminds me lets not forget every Leagues has got to have its own motto and the League of Nation does not disappoint in that area: “to develop cooperation among nations and to guarantee them peace and security”. 

Wow that is ambitious don't you think? This idealistic and somewhat grandiose pursuit of peace proved to be a failure on many occasions. But despite the many failures the League had altruistic intentions and as a result the League also had many successes. The League was successful in the Aaland Islands in 1921. These islands were between Finland and Sweden. The islands traditionally belonged to Finland but the islanders wanted to be governed by Sweden (probably because of their meatballs). The League stepped in and proclaimed that the Aalands would stay with Finland but it had to be a weapon free zone. The League was also successful in upper Silesia. The Treaty of Versailles gave Upper Silesia the choice between joining the German Weimar government or the Polish government. The people chose Germany but there were many who wanted to join Poland and so this caused great opposition and animosity within upper Silesia. The league split the region between Germany and Poland (sharing is caring). The League also made an attempt to right one of its wrongs. After letting a bloody war break out in Turkey they sent doctors and Health Organizations to help the nearly 1.5 million refugees and to heal those with Typhoid and Cholera. The invested over 10 million dollars in Turkey and by 1926 over half a million people found jobs.

Quote of the Post:

"I had come to regard the U.S. Senate's rejection of the league of nations as a tragic mistake." -- Elliot Richardson

 Cartoon of the Post: