4.3.1 Ultranationalism Leads to World War II

The destruction and devastation caused by World War I (1914 to 1918) left all nations reeling and in need of recovery. The League of Nations, based on U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points, was an international group formed with the goal of collective security. The group viewed aggression and war as not only impacting one single nation, but rather the entire global community. The League of Nations focused on solving disputes through open diplomacy, by reducing military equipment and weapons, economic sanctions, and with the use of arbitration (a third-party "referee" to hear and mediate all sides of a disagreement).


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By 1920, 48 countries had joined the League of Nations, and 63 nations were part of the League by World War II. But much like the Treaty of Versailles, the League encountered challenges in its mandate of collective security, including the following.

  • Russia did not join the League of Nations due to the terms outlined in the Treaty of Versailles.

  • Germany was not allowed to join the League of Nations.

  • The United States did not join the League of Nations due to a policy of isolationism and the refusal of the US Senate.

  • All decisions needed to have a unanimous vote, and all permanent member nations had veto power. Often, when there was a crisis, no one could agree.

  • The League had no military power of its own. It depended on member nations to send its own troops to solve disputes.

The League of Nations did have some success preventing other global disputes before World War II, and the League established the Geneva Protocol, a policy to limit chemical and biological warfare.

But, challenges to the League's power and ability to enforce its goals, and member nations' pursuit of self-interests taking priority over peace in the international community began to undermine respect for the League's ability to intervene in conflict.

Reflect

In the 1919 cartoon (right), Wilson holds out an olive branch of peace labelled "League of Nations" to a dove (also a symbol of peace) too small to carry the load. What do you believe was the cartoonist's perspective of the League of Nations, and his opinion of Wilson's approach to international relations? Add your thoughts to the bottom of the 4.3 Notebook Organizer.

"Overweighted"



World War I was supposed to be the "war to end all wars", but World War I set the scene for an even more destructive war only twenty years later. Thus, World War II began in 1939. Again, ultranationalism, national interests, and foreign policy played major roles in starting another devastating war. During the interwar years, Germany, Italy, and Japan had become ultranationalistic, and their foreign policy actions were taken without regard for their impact on other nations.

Watch the following video, which explains how World War II started and highlights important events during WWII.