Even before WW I ended, the Europeans convened a conference to discuss an international organization — a “League of Nations,” to borrow Theodore Roosevelt’s phrase — that would work to resolve disputes before they escalate into war. The aggressor of that war, Germany, was notably not invited to participate; per the Treaty of Versailles they were disarmed and saddled with large reparations. But in striving for international recognition and a spot on the world stage, Germany applied to join the organization, showing they reformed.

On this day, September 9, in 1926 Germany joined as a permanent of the League of Nations, a politically important move that recognized Germany’s power (and the League’s weakness.)

In addition to Germany at the outset, the U.S. refused to join the League. Russia, too, despite fielding one of the largest armies, was excluded. Both France and Britain, the two largest members of the League, were weakened from the the war and loath to get involved in anything that did not concern Western Europe directly. The League further lost all credibility when France, supported by Britain, occupied the Ruhr industrial region of Germany, in direct contravention of the League charter.