League of Nations

League of Nations (1920–1946), the first major international association of countries, set up after World War I. The charter, or covenant, was incorporated into the Treaty of Versailles by the War's victors, among them France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, and the United States. The United States failed to ratify the treaty and join the League. Though the League grew during the 1920s, it was never effective in settling major disputes (e.g., Italy's invasion of Corfu in 1923, Japan's invasion of Manchuria in 1931, Italy's invasion of Ethiopia in 1935). After World War II proved it a failure, the League was dissolved (1946), but its successor, the United Nations, used it as a model.

See also: United Nations; Versailles, Treaty of.