 Why was it strange that the United States did not join the League of Nations when it was created?

 During peace talks President Wilson made adjustments to the 14 Points – Realized peace treaties alone would not create “just peace”  Group, including Wilson, wrote Covenant of League of Nation  Approved by Conference, & including in Versailles treaty

 2 Main Aims ◦ Promote cooperation ◦ Keep peace among nations  3 Main Agencies ◦ An assembly ◦ A council ◦ A secretariat  The League was to work closely with the World Court

 The Assembly ◦ Representatives from all member nations ◦ Each nation allowed 1 vote  The Council ◦ Main peacekeeping body ◦ Originally 9 member nations, later increased to 14 ◦ 5 Permanent Members – England, France, Italy, Japan, U.S. ◦ Remaining seats filled by rotating nations

 Member nations agreed to submit disputes to World Court instead of going to war  Punishment for breaking agreement ◦ Breaking diplomatic relations ◦ Imposing of economic sanctions

 Provided way to deal with overseas colonies of Central Powers  The League was responsible for colony until it was “ready for independence”  The League then set the colony up as a mandate

 The U.S. did not join even though Wilson helped promote the League ◦ Wary of League’s power ◦ Wanted to change Treaty of Versailles ◦ Feared another war over issues that did not concern them  First Meeting – Geneva, Switzerland – 11/1920  42 nations attended  Germany & Soviet Union later joined

 Global Epidemic ◦ 1918 – Influenza Pandemic ◦ Spread quickly due to rapid movement of people during global war ◦ Killed victims in 2 to 3 days ◦ Just as mysteriously as disease appeared it disappeared ◦ Approximately 20,000,000 deaths

 Scientific & Social Theories ◦ Many began to think of the world as frightening & unpredictable ◦ Looked to Sigmund Freud, founder of psychology, to ease uncertainty ◦ Claimed unconscious often controlled peoples’ actions ◦ Helped people understand destruction of WWI & uneasiness

 Major writings showed dissatisfaction with traditional ideas  Oswald Spengler’s Decline of the West said civilizations matured from youth until death  Lost Generation – Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald – Writings reflected loss of morality  Others experimented with new forms & motivation of unconscious

 Composers such as Stravinsky & Schoenberg attempted pieces vastly different from those of the past  Radios were more common – Music became aimed at mass audiences  Gave birth to new forms of music, like Jazz

 Picasso & Braque created a new style called cubism – used geometric designs  Cubist painters showed objects from many viewpoints at once  Many artists focused on unconscious & insanity of war

 Steel lead to creation of functional buildings that were built for specific purposes as opposed to styles  Sullivan & Wright began this idea, & impacted architecture world wide

 Main form – Motion Pictures  Millions flocked to theaters  Offered escape from everyday life  1927 film The Jazz Singer introduced sound  Sports also became a popular leisure activity

 Economies improved & people spent more on consumer goods – Non-essential products  Price of “luxury items” dropped, which made goods more available for purchase  Radio advertisements & credit helped increase consumerism  Instant gratification reflected a change in attitudes of the time