The United Nations is a replacement for which ineffective organisation?

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks which earlier international organisation the United Nations (UN) replaced because it was ineffective.

Step 2: Explain the concept

• The League of Nations was created in 1919/1920 after World War I (through the Treaty of Versailles) to maintain world peace and prevent future wars.
• It had major weaknesses: • It had no military force of its own to enforce decisions. • The USA never joined, even though President Woodrow Wilson proposed it. • Decisions required unanimity, which made action slow. • It failed to stop aggression by Japan (Manchuria, 1931), Italy (Abyssinia/Ethiopia, 1935) and Germany, and so could not prevent World War II.
• After World War II, the United Nations was established in 1945 with a stronger structure, including the Security Council, which has the power to authorise sanctions and military action.

Step 3: Check the options

• A. World War II: This was a war, not an organisation.
• B. League of Nations: This is the ineffective organisation that the UN replaced.
• C. OPEC: This is an oil-producing countries' organisation formed in 1960. It is not a predecessor of the UN.
• D. ECOWAS: This is a West African regional body formed in 1975, long after the UN was founded.

Step 4: Answer The correct answer is B. League of Nations.

Exam tip: Remember the sequence: WWI → League of Nations (1920) → failed → WWII → United Nations (1945). Whenever a question asks about the predecessor of the UN, think "League of Nations."