League of Nations (Twilight of a New Era)

The League of Nations (LoN), is an inter-governmental organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1920. The League's primary goals, as stated in its Covenant, includes preventing war through collective security, disarmament, and settling international disputes through negotiation and arbitration. Other goals in this and related treaties included labor conditions, just treatment of native inhabitants, trafficking in persons and drugs, arms trade, global health, prisoners of war, and protection of minorities in Europe

Origins and development of the League of Nations
The US President Woodrow Wilson's Propositions of World Peace (1918) included the creation of a A general association of nations must be formed under specific covenants for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike. The Paris Peace Conference, convened to build a lasting peace after World War I, approved the proposal to create the League of Nations on June of 1920. The Covenant of the League of Nations was drafted by a special commission, and the League was established by Part I of the Treaty of Versailles.

However in 1921, The Treaty was not approved by the US Senate. Leaving out of the LoN its principal promoter and member of the League Council. In the 1930s the American republics would follow in a lesser degree the isolation of the US and would almost not participate, with the exception of the annual Assembly and organizations of the LoN. The Latin American nations became increasingly disillusioned with the League in the 1920’s. This was partly due to the failure of the United States to join the League, and partly because the major powers in the League paid little attention to Latin America’s problems. The South Alliance became the liaison of Latin America in major political decisions. This left the LoN mainly has a forum of European diplomacy with the East. By the 1930s the international diplomatic network had evolved in regional blocks such has the Pan-American Union, the Confederation of Arab States, the International Community of Socialist Republics and the UK and French Empires has major players.

According to the Versailles Treaty Germany's overseas territories where alloted between the Allies (UK, France, Japan and Belgium) has war payments. The former provinces of the Ottoman Empire where dealt in separate treaties with the exception of Lebanon and Palestine that where given by the UK and France has mandates under the supervision of the LoN.

Organization
The Permanent Secretariat, established at the seat of the League at Geneva, comprised a body of experts in various spheres under the direction of the General Secretary.

The Assembly consisted of representatives of all Members of the League. Each state was allowed up to three representatives and one vote. The Assembly had its sessions at Geneva and met on yearly basis on the first Monday of September, since 1921. A special session of the Assembly might be summoned at the request of a Member, provided a majority of the Members concurred.The special functions of the Assembly included the admission of new Members, the periodical election on non-permanent Members of the Council, the election with the Council of the judges of the Permanent Court, and the control of the budget. In practice the Assembly had become the general directing force of League activities.

The League Council acted as a type of executive body directing the Assembly's business. The Council began with four permanent members (Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan) and four non-permanent members which were elected by the Assembly for a three year period. The United States was meant to be the fifth permanent member, but the US Senate voted on March 1921 against the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles, thus preventing American participation in the League.

The League oversaw the Permanent Court of International Justice and several other agencies and commissions created to deal with pressing international problems.
 * Permanent Court of International Justice
 * International Labour Organization
 * Health Organization
 * Committee on Intellectual Cooperation
 * Slavery Commission* Permanent Central Opium Board
 * Commission for Refugees
 * Committee for the Study of the Legal Status of Women