American South And The League Of Nations Debate

The League of Nations is the world’s first universal international organization whose purpose is to maintain peace and security.The American south is unique economically,culturally and ideologically compared to the north.They have a different understanding from the North on the subject of whether the United States should join the League of Nations.Therefore,this dissertation will take the American South as the object of study,and focus on the American League of Nations debate.Through analyzing materials such as U.S.congressional archives,local archives of the American South,newspaper editorials,and political cartoons,we will explore the regionalism factor in the League of Nations debate,and make a specific analysis of the role of the American South in the League of Nations controversy and the reasons why southern congressional senators supported the U.S.joining the League of Nations.As soon as the idea of the League of Nations was proposed,U.S.Senators in Congress had different views on whether the United States should join the League of Nations.Some northern members of Congress proposed that the U.S.join the League of Nations with a reservation for their own purposes and interests,and some northern members even strongly opposed it,while most southern members of Congress supported the U.S.joining the League of Nations without a reservation.Congressional senators were unable to agree on the issue,which led to one of the more influential events in U.S.diplomatic history--the debate on the League of Nations.After several heated debates and votes,the U.S.Congress ultimately failed to pass the U.S.proposal to join the League of Nations,a result that caused the U.S.to miss an opportunity to play an important role in the reconstruction of the international order.As a supporter of U.S.membership in the League of Nations,the American South was motivated by multiple considerations.First,the economy of the American South was closely linked to the European market,especially the British market,and the stability of the European market affected the development of the economy of the American South,and the League of Nations was created with the purpose of meeting the requirements of the economic development of the American South.Secondly,the American south firmly supported Wilson’s various domestic and diplomatic measures out of regionalism factors,and the South also maintained its consistent support for Wilson.Finally,the anti-German and anti-Bolshevik waves that emerged in the American South after World War I,the League of Nations’ severe sanctions against Germany and the containment of Bolshevism gained the support of the American South.