Why did Germany and Japan leave the League of Nations?
“The League’s first major test came in 1931 when the Japanese invaded Manchuria. The League retorted with a condemnation of Japan’s violation of the covenant, and the Japanese promptly withdrew from the League in March 1933. A second challenge came in October 1935, when Mussolini’s Italy invaded Ethiopia. This time the League did attempt to enforce economic sanctions, though the invasion was completed before sanctions could bite. But, in any case, the rise of Nazi Germany presented a challenge on a far larger scale. Hitler had always made clear his contempt for the League of Nations as a talking shop and a tool for the Versailles victors. He lost no time in withdrawing Germany. The remilitarization of the Rhineland, the anschluss with Austria, the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia, and the invasion of Poland followed in quick succession, with the League helpless.
