Why did the League of Nations fail?

There were a number of factors that led to the league failing, such as:

• They had no troops, so its decisions were often not respected by countries as they knew there would be no consequences.
• Decisions were slow, making it less effective.
• Economic sanctions did not work, especially because countries such as the USA, USSR and Germany were missing.
• The leading members often put their interests before those of the League, making it less effective.
• The treaties it had to uphold were seen as unfair in many countries.
• The Manchurian Crisis (1931-33) saw the League fail to deal with Japan invading Manchuria, undermining the League and showing how it was powerless to stop an attack similar to this one.
• The Abyssinian Crisis in 1935 saw the League fail to deal with Italy invading Abyssinia, which was the final blow for the League and consequently destroyed its credibility.