Abstract
World War I broke out in 1914, and it had an enormous impact on the development of the international organizations of countries. With raging bloody battles, the unprecedented "losses in human and material terms" drove the entire world to think of a way to prevent future conflicts. At that time, the realist paradigm was the one prevailing in international relations. In a world where war was a means to promote national interests, the thought of an organization bringing nations together to promote peace was revolutionary.
The year 1915 saw the establishment of the British League of Nations Society and also the establishment of the American League to Enforce Peace.
Before the very first attempts to create the League of Nations itself, other anti-war movements arose spontaneously and campaigned for a new international system that would promote peace and justice. Behind the initiative of the American League to Enforce Peace was the American president Woodrow Wilson. He brought his full support to its principles and was the first statesman to declare officially that its ideals would be incorporated in his own policies.
On the 6th of April 1917, the United States declared war on Germany. The urge for peace became even more crucial for the most powerful Ally. The project gained in substance and support. In 1914, when the war had begun, President Wilson had first declared his country neutral. Knowing that by force of circumstances he would someday have to take part in conflicts, he still managed to keep his neutral composure until 1916 when he was re-elected on the assumption that he had maintained America's neutrality. According to Sigmund Freud and William Bullitt , Wilson saw this war as a great opportunity to create an international organization for peace.
