The League of Nations

Almost a century ago, in the aftermath of the carnage of the First World War, the League of Nations convened for the first time with the intention that it should seek to settle disputes between nations using diplomacy instead of war. This concise history examines how the League was envisaged, the multifaceted body that emerged, how it was used in the ensuing years to counter territorial ambitions and restrict armaments, the instrumental role it played in the development of human rights, its failure to prevent the Second World War, and ultimately how the benefit of its experience helped to create a more effective United Nations.