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Why did the Senate oppose U.S. membership in the League of Nations post World War I?
Quick answer:
The Senate opposed U.S. membership in the League of Nations post-World War I primarily due to concerns over Article X, which required member nations to commit troops and take diplomatic actions that might not align with U.S. interests. Senators feared losing control over U.S. foreign policy and becoming entangled in European conflicts. Additionally, they were wary of the financial and military commitments involved in collective security.
The major reason for this was the fact that many Senators were afraid that membership in the League of Nations would reduce the sovereignty of the United States and its ability to have complete control over its own foreign policy and military actions.
The treaty creating the League of Nations committed members of the League to defend the independence of any other member that got attacked by another country. Many Senators worried that this would force the US to go to war whenever any member of the League was attacked by another country. This would, they felt, rob the US of its control over its military and its foreign policy.
The Senate, then, rejected membership in the League of Nations to prevent the US from being forced to fight whenever another member of the League was attacked.
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