Comparative Analysis of the United Nations and League of Nations

Comparative Analysis of the United Nations and League of Nations

Foundational Principles: United Nations: Member states should respect the sovereign equality of member states, refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, settle international disputes by peaceful means, support enforcement actions, and fulfill in good faith all the obligations assumed under the Charter. League of Nations: The League of Nations' objective was to maintain universal peace within the framework of the fundamental principles of the Pact accepted by its members: “to develop cooperation among nations and to guarantee them peace and security.” The role of the League of Nations was to identify and address threats to peace, settle disputes, and impose sanctions against states violating international agreements.

Organizational Structure: United Nations: The UN is based on five principal organs: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Secretariat, and the International Court of Justice. League of Nations: The main organs of the League of Nations were the General Assembly, the Council, and the Secretariat. (The General Assembly, which met once a year, consisted of representatives of all the member states and decided on the organization's policy. The Council included four permanent members (Britain, France, Italy, and Japan) and four (later nine) others elected by the General Assembly every three years. The Secretariat prepared the agenda and published reports of meetings.)

Decision-Making: United Nations: In the United Nations, the power lies with the General Assembly in decision-making over the functioning subsumed bodies and making recommendations to governments. It can also order inquiries with respect to conflicts. Decisions are made by a majority (simple or ⅔). All 193 member states of the UN are represented in the General Assembly, making it the only UN body with universal representation. League of Nations: The Council was the executive body of the League of Nations, meaning it was the decision-making part of the organization. The Council met on average five times a year. It initially had four permanent member nations (Britain, Italy, France, and Japan) and four non-permanent member nations who were on the council for three years. When Germany was admitted to the League of Nations, they were given a permanent place on the Council. The number of non-permanent members rose to six and later to eleven members.

Successes and Failures:

League of Nations - Successes: First permanent IGO of general political nature, resolution of territorial issues in Europe, mandate system, and international community’s willingness to act against international lawbreakers. The League also resolved a problem in a port in Lithuania called Memel in 1923. Most of the people in Memel were Lithuanians, and Lithuania believed it should govern the port. However, according to the Treaty of Versailles, the land had to be governed by the League. The League intervened after the port was invaded by the Lithuanians. It gave the land surrounding the port to Lithuania and made the port itself an international zone. Another success of the League was that they managed a dispute between Bulgaria and Greece in 1925. Violence broke out when Bulgarian sentries patrolling the common border between the two countries shot at each other. Greece invaded Bulgaria, leading to the intervention of the League. The League ordered Greece to withdraw from Bulgaria and found Greece to be responsible. This decision was accepted by both countries. Failures: Absence of the U.S., economic depression, Japanese invasion of Manchuria (1931), Italian invasion of Ethiopia (1935), ineffective sanctions against Italy, civil war in Spain, remilitarization of the Rhineland, Anschluss, German occupation of Czechoslovakia, and World War II.

United Nations - Failures: Rwanda genocide, rape and child abuse in Congo, Syria, Libya, Ukraine, and Srebrenica. Successes:

Firstly, it has prevented the occurrence of any further world wars and has been instrumental in the maintenance of international balance of power.

It played a significant role in disarming the world and making it nuclear-free. The U.N. also fought for the liberation of countries that have been under colonial rule for over 450 years. Eighty nations and more than 750 million people have since been freed from colonialism.