Question

Name the two major countries which were not members of the League of Nations.

Answer 1

Hint: The League of Nations was a post-World War I international diplomatic organisation created to settle international conflicts before they turned into open warfare. The League, which served as a forerunner to the United Nations, won some conflicts but had a mixed record of success, placing self-interest before conflict resolution at times and dealing with states who refused to accept its authority. During World War II, the League virtually halted activities.

Complete answer:
One of the causes of the First World War was the frenzied scramble for arms that began soon after the Franco-Prussian War. In the pretext of self-defence and peacekeeping, every major state began accumulating weapons. With the goal of gaining parity with Britain, Germany proceeded to create a robust navy.

In 1882, the Triple Alliance was founded, consisting of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. The Triple Entente was formed in 1907 which comprised France, Russia and Britain. Later, Japan too joined the Triple Entente. As a result, Europe was split between two antagonistic forces.

The tragedies of the war convinced world leaders that a mechanism to avert conflict and encourage international collaboration was required. The League of Nations was established on the 10th of January 1920 in Geneva, Switzerland, a result of this.

For invading Finland, Russia was ejected from the League of Nations, and the United States was never admitted, which is ironic given that America designed it and these were the two biggest countries that were not members.

Thus Russia and America were the two major countries that were not members of the League of Nations.

Note: A war broke out in Europe in 1914, engulfing the entire world with battles fought across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. It was waged on a global scale, affecting practically every country on the planet. During this conflict, new defence and destructive methods were employed. This conflict was fought by the entire population. It is known as the First World War because of the unparalleled scale of its expansion, effect, and damage, as well as its overall nature.