On January 10, 1920 the League of Nations held its first meeting in London and the same day ratified the Treaty of Versailles thus officially ending World War I. The headquarters of the League moved to Geneva and the first general assembly with it’s members was held there on November 15, 1920.
The purpose of this international body “included disarmament, preventing war through collective security, settling disputes between countries through negotiation and diplomacy, and improving global welfare” [1, 2]
Established post WWI as the Paris Peace Conference in Jan 1919, the League had no enforcement powers, so the organisation was only effective when parties agreed to abide by its decisions….The League was powerless and mostly silent in the face of major events leading to World War II. In 1946 the League dissolved itself and its services, mandates, and property were transferred to the United Nations.
“A general association of nations should be formed on the basis of covenants designed to create mutual guarantees of the political independence and territorial integrity of States, large and small equally.”
President Woodrow Wilson, Jan. 8, 1918, Point 14
Even though President Woodrow Wilson had been a driving force behind establishing the League of Nations, the United States Senate voted on January 19, 1919 not to join the League. [3]
League of Nations Timeline – ARCHIVE