League of Nations

             America's rejection of the League of Nations was a diplomatic blunder. The selfish decision was made primarily because of political jealousy and future party interests/ambitions, rather than in the best interests of the country and the world. The rejection was a poor decision for many reasons. First of all, both the pro-leaguers and the anti-leaguers wanted many of the same things, but because of political differences, neither side was able to realize this fact. Also, many of the proposed reforms for the league were unnecessary, and therefore, the huge fuss and eventual rejection was, too, unnecessary. By the end of war, the US "had emerged as the moral arbiter of the world and the hope of all peoples for a better tomorrow," (Oates 143) and what would the League to end all wars be without its arbiter and hope? The US was primarily responsible for the creation of the League, so it only made sense for them to be a part of it. Finally, the rejection of the League of Nations directly contradicted the principle reason for entering into the war – world peace. Had both the Democrats and Republicans not been so stubborn, the US may have become part of the original League of Nations, and may not have made the mistake of rejection.
             Many of the desired, proposed and disputed reforms for the league were either unnecessary or shared by both sides. For example, Republican Senator Lodge wanted an assurance that the integrity of the Monroe Doctrine would be kept, but since the Monroe Doctrine was made law nearly 100 years prior, it was already protected by the constitution, and therefore needed no other guarantee. "Most of [Lodge's reservations] seemed either irrelevant, inconsequential, or unnecessary; some of them merely reaffirmed principles and policies already guaranteed by the treaty or the Constitution." (Oates, 146) The concern over the Monroe Doctrine was reasonable, but when taken in perspective, one ca...

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League of Nations. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 07:17, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/96820.html