On November 15, 1920, representatives of 41 member states gathered in Geneva, Switzerland, for the first assembly of the League of Nations. Established in the aftermath of the First World War, the organisation was created to encourage international cooperation, resolve disputes peacefully and prevent another major global conflict.
The League represented an ambitious attempt to establish a system of collective international security. Although it ultimately failed to prevent the Second World War and was dissolved in 1946, its institutional experience helped shape the creation of the United Nations.