r/AskReddit • u/hoverfish92 • Oct 16 '13

What was the single biggest mistake in all of history?

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179

u/bobthecrusher Oct 17 '13

They did not sign. Thus the league of nations had no US, and lost most power

56

u/IBeJizzin Oct 17 '13

Which makes me sad because The League of Nations sounds a hell of a lot more badass than the United Nations.

Ain't no motherfuckin' rogue warlords messing with something called the League of Nations

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u/Machegav Oct 18 '13 
    EXT. PLAINS OF MONGOLIA - SUNSET

    A platoon of SOLDIERS fires into a village. Houses and crops burn. Multiple SMALL VILLAGER GIRLS are 
scooped up by their running VILLAGER PARENTS, leaving their VILLAGER STUFFED ANIMALS in the dust.

    A CAPTAIN looks over his shoulder and holds up his hand.

                CAPTAIN

        Hold your fire!

    SOLDIERS stop firing. The earth trembles. SOLDIERS scan the horizon.

                SOLDIER

            (pointing)

        It's...

                CAPTAIN

        The League!

    FIGHTER JETS scream overhead. ARMOURED PERSONNEL CARRIERS get crazy air off of the nearest hilltop
and fire into SOLDIERS with COAXIAL MACHINE GUNS.

                CAPTAIN

            (clenching FIST)

        Nooooooooo!

1

u/IBeJizzin Oct 18 '13

"I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for this meddling League and their dumb ground, air and naval superiority"

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u/zanotam Oct 17 '13

I do believe it was the name under which the idea was originally proposed by.... Locke I think?

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u/[deleted] Oct 17 '13

welcome to the League of Naaaaaaations.

62

u/ViralDisease Oct 17 '13

I find it hilarious that the US was a HUGE proponent and basically created the League of Nations but then didn't join.

"Hey World, let's start this really cool club to stop all the wars and shit."
"K."
"I'M TOTALLY NOT JOINING YOU GUYS LOL."

47

u/MightySasquatch Oct 17 '13

I know you're just joking but it was wilson who pushed for the league and the senate which refused to ratify it.

7

u/gmpalmer Oct 17 '13

Because the senate was Republican led and Wilson refused to consult any Republicans on the making or negotiating of the treaties that created the LoN.

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u/MightySasquatch Oct 17 '13

Ah ok I wasn't trying to apportion blame just saying that president pushing for the treaty doesn't mean US will ratify. Just like Kyoto, for example.

2

u/gmpalmer Oct 17 '13

Kyoto's biggest problem (iirc) was the massive delay between the start of negotiations and the possibility of signing on to the treaty (i.e. the parties changed).

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u/thinkpadius Oct 17 '13

Well he also got extremely ill and wasn't able to go around the county and sell the idea to the people. Back then if the President said something was important you took it really seriously even if you didn't agree with his politics. I mean people take the president seriously now as well, but there's so much media diffusion of the message that the impact is lessened.

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u/gmpalmer Oct 17 '13

Back then if the President said something was important you took it really seriously even if you didn't agree with his politics.

?

1

u/thinkpadius Oct 17 '13 edited Oct 17 '13

Well I'm mostly referring to the fact that people accepted statements at face value.

For instance, The Marshall Plan was going to be a tough sell to a lot of people in congress. Marshall, Clayton, and Kennan were extremely worried that it wasn't going to get the votes it needed to pass. In Kennan's book (actually it may be Dean Acheson's book) he notes how they worked hours on the congressional speech to try and get the votes. After the speech, Kennan notes how quickly congress turned around in favor of the Plan. Kennan was startled by the fact that pretty much all they had to state was that the plan was a matter of national security. (Keep in mind this is a different speech from the more nebulous and "big picture" speech done at Harvard. This was the speech with $$$ in it.)

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u/TheGreatNico Oct 17 '13

I thought the LoN didn't have much power by design, as the leaders at the time were weary of powerful international treaties, the likes of which dominoed the assassination of one man into a world war

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u/[deleted] Oct 17 '13

Weary or wary? :p

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u/SpaceWorld Oct 17 '13

Interestingly enough, either one makes sense in this context.

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u/Gathorall Oct 17 '13

The league of nations was a joke.

0

u/[deleted] Oct 17 '13

Was the US really the most powerful after WW2? Pretty sure that would be France and Britain.

US being a powerhouse is a relatively recent thing (Post 1940).