The League of Nations and Its Problems

Writing as the First World War drew to a close, L. Oppenheim considers how a League of Nations could give lasting structure to cooperation between states. These three lectures connect the proposed League with earlier developments in international law, especially the Hague Peace Conferences. They examine its aims, its organisation and the means by which shared legal rules, courts and conciliation councils might take shape.

The argument turns on the independence and equality of states. Oppenheim distinguishes laws made by a national parliament from international rules created through agreement, then considers the obstacles: different languages, conflicting national interests and uncertain legal customs. His discussion makes the practical machinery of peace central to the debate. For readers interested in the origins of international institutions, the lectures offer a close view of the proposals and difficulties being weighed at a moment of political upheaval.