Essay on Wilson’s League of Nations and Its Legacy

Wilson’s League of Nations and Its Legacy As much of the world lay in shambles as the closing to the War to End All Wars approached, President Woodrow Wilson contemplated the global state of affairs. In his Fourteen Points, Wilson expresses his desire for â€Å"a just and stable peace† and outlines ways in which to accomplish it. One of his points—the fourteenth—suggests the creation of a group of nations with a common purpose. As his idea took root, it grew into the League of Nations. Despite good intentions, the League of Nations proved too weak to be effective at the outbreak of World War II. Even though the League itself failed, the legacy of its framework and missions live on in the current international system, most obviously in the†¦show more content†¦Doing so would further one of Wilson’s goals: â€Å"to make the world safe for democracy† (Mingst 51). Though it is usually true that the only sure thing in life is change, the goals of the international community have not wavered. The passage of time has seen many generations, conflicts, and leaders, yet the desire for international security and peace remains steadfast. It is this constancy that has allowed the framework and organizational mechanics of the League of Nations to be recycled into a new but fundamentally similar entity—the United Nations. Though the two entities are not exactly the same, the rebirth of the League of Nations as the much stronger United Nations is evident. Even just a superficial comparison of the Covenant of the League of Nations with the Charter of the United Nations leads to recognition of their similarity. The preambles of the documents of both organizations set almost identical primary goals—â€Å"to promote international co-operation and to achieve international peace and security†Ã¢â‚¬â€and cite the same ways to go about achie ving this goal. The tragedy and horror that resulted from World War I left a bitter taste in the mouths of people worldwide. In order to prevent such events from happening again, President Wilson desired to form a group of nations dedicated to the preservation of international peace. This group—theShow MoreRelatedThe Great Presidents By Woodrow Wilson Essay1281 Words   |  6 PagesPresidential greatness isn’t necessarily determined just by success or remembrance, but is determined by the ideas that a president has and how it impacts the people. Each president sets out with an agenda to accomplish and to leave a legacy behind, however, only few presidents are remembered, celebrated, and taught about. The history of great presidents often correlates to time of war for America. This is because great presidents often emerge to the people in times of crisis, such as wars. Of theRead MoreThe Antitrust Act Of Woodrow Wilson1532 Words   |  7 Pagesand competition (First Inaugural Address , online). 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