COMPARISON BETWEEN LEAGUE OF NATIONS

AND UNITED NATIONS

The League of Nations was an international organization, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland,
founded on 10 January 1920 as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War.
It was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain
world peace. Whereas, the United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization that was tasked
to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve
international co-operation and be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations. The headquarters of
the UN is in Manhattan, New York City, and is subject to extraterritoriality. Further main offices are
situated in Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna. The organization is financed by assessed and voluntary
contributions from its member states.

Comparison between the two organizations:

 It is interesting to compare and contrast these two major organizations of the world.
The first major difference between the League of Nations and the United Nations is the
years in which these agencies operated. The League of Nations came into being at the end
of the First World War in 1919. The United Nations came into being under similar
circumstances at the end of the Second World War in 1945.
 League of Nations had only 63 member countries whereas the United Nations has 192
member states.
 League of Nations did not succeed in preventing the world war whereas the United
Nations has prevented the war so far. In terms of failures and successes, the League of
Nations was considered a failure, because, despite its existence, the Second World War
was still fought. The League of Nations was set up as an international regulatory body to
prevent future conflict and resolve issues between countries. It was unable to do this. The
result was Word War II, which saw the killing of soldiers and civilians in
epic proportions.
 United States was not a part of the League of Nations which means less power
whereas in the UN, United States is forming one of the most important member state. So
the League has emerged more powerful organization.
 Nations could leave the League of Nations when they did not agree but there is no
provision for the member states in the UN to leave the organisation.
 League had no armed force whereas the member states of the UN can send soldiers
for special tasks. The United Nations, has been largely successful in maintaining the
international order from the time it was created. The main area of difference between the
two, which turns out to be a major advantage that the United Nations has over the
League, is that member countries of the UN can deploy their armed forces as a part of a
peace keeping force in areas of conflict. The League of Nations did not have this
advantage.
 Many important countries did join the League of Nations. Every important state is a
member of the United Nations.
 The League of Nations collapsed while the UN is still existent. The U.N.O. is a much
wider organization. Between the two world wars {1919-1939}, the League of Nations
became a forum of imperialist powers, an instrument to maintain their own interests and
resolve their imperialist conflicts.