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Foreign Affairs
Covenant of the League of Nations

Covenant of the League of Nations

The initial draft of the Covenant of the League of Nations was completed hurriedly in early 1919, under the close supervision of President Woodrow Wilson. The proposed new international organization was to be composed of three bodies:

  • The Secretariat. This permanent body was to be responsible for the administration of League policies and programs and was to be housed in Geneva, Switzerland.
  • The Council. The Council was to be composed of nine member nations. Britain, France, Italy, Japan and the United States were to be permanent Council members. The remaining four positions were to be chosen by the Assembly on a rotating basis.
  • The Assembly. All member nations were to be represented in the Assembly and each was to have a single vote.

League members were to be pledged to the following, to:

  1. Protect the territorial integrity of other member states (Article X)
  2. Submit to the League disputes that threatened war
  3. Employ economic and military sanctions against nations that resorted to war
  4. Participate in arms reduction programs
  5. Assist in the establishment of a Permanent International Court of Justice.

As soon as the provisions of the Covenant became known in the United States, opposition was voiced. Article X received much attention, prompting critics to question the collective security implications of that provision. Few relished the prospect of sending American forces to fight in future European or Asian wars. Other critics believed that the League Covenant would supercede valued traditional policies, such as the Monroe Doctrine.

Other American leaders were more favorably inclined toward the League, but believed it would be unwise to join if provisions were not included for withdrawing at some point in the future.


See also Wilson's Search for Peace.

Off-site search results for "Covenant of the League of Nations"...

Historical Documents and Speeches - The Covenant of the League of Nations, (Including Amendments adopted to December, 1924)
... obligations in the dealings of organised peoples with one another, Agree to this Covenant of the League of Nations. ARTICLE 1. The original Members of the League of Nations shall be those of the Signatories whCovenant of the League of Nations. ARTICLE 1. The original Members of the League of Nations shall be those of the Signatories which are named in the Annex to ...
http://www.historicaldocuments.com/CovenantoftheLeagueofNations.htm

The Avalon Project : The Covenant of the League of Nations
... obligations in the dealings of organised peoples with one another, Agree to this Covenant of the League of Nations. ARTICLE 1. The original Members of the League of Nations shall be those of the Signatories whCovenant of the League of Nations. ARTICLE 1. The original Members of the League of Nations shall be those of the Signatories which are named in the Annex to ...
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/leagcov.htm

Joseph Avenol's Betrayal of the League of Nations
... in notifications of their declarations of war, they pointedly did not invoke the Covenant of the League of Nations--Part I of the Treaty of Versailles. Instead, they cited the Kellogg-Briand Pact--a 1928 treatyCovenant of the League of Nations--Part I of the Treaty of Versailles. Instead, they cited the Kellogg-Briand Pact--a 1928 treaty renouncing war that had been ...
http://www.historynet.com/wwii/bl-joseph-avenol

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