Conclusion

Abstract

The League of Nations made it possible for Europe to avert a potentially disastrous war in late 1934. Traditional historical accounts that only focus on the League’s “failures” distort what Geneva actually achieved and why that mattered. Such accounts misrepresent the League’s successes, misinterpret the meaning of “appeasement,” and obscure how most Europeans saw their world during these years rather than how they or historians may have viewed it after 1945. The League did not prevent the outbreak of the Second World War, or even terrorist acts after 1934. Still, Geneva’s success in preserving peace after Alexander’s murder and its ability to promote international cooperation in an attempt to combat state-supported terrorism illustrate both the power and limitations of the organization in the 1930s.