Denmark leaves the League of Nations.
Denmark left the League of Nations in 1940 as a direct consequence of the German invasion and occupation during the Second World War. On 9 April 1940, Nazi Germany launched Operation Weserübung, invading both Denmark and Norway. The Danish government, recognizing that its small military could not resist the overwhelming German force, surrendered after only a few hours of fighting. Although Denmark retained a limited degree of internal self-government during the early years of the occupation, its foreign policy came under German control. As a result, Denmark could no longer act independently within international organizations such as the League of Nations.
The League of Nations itself was by then rapidly becoming irrelevant. Established after the First World War to promote collective security and prevent future conflicts, the League had already failed to stop acts of aggression by Japan in Manchuria, Italy in Ethiopia, and Germany’s expansion across Europe. When Germany invaded Denmark, the League was powerless to offer any military or diplomatic assistance. Denmark’s participation effectively ended in 1940, not because it rejected the League’s ideals, but because the occupation prevented it from exercising an independent foreign policy. The League ceased most of its activities as the war spread across Europe.
After the Second World War, the League of Nations was formally dissolved in April 1946, with its remaining responsibilities transferred to the newly created United Nations. Denmark, having been liberated from German occupation in May 1945, became one of the founding members of the United Nations later that year. Rather than returning to the defunct League, Denmark embraced the new international organization, which was designed with stronger institutions and greater powers to maintain international peace and security. Thus, Denmark’s departure from the League was the result of wartime occupation and the League’s collapse, rather than a voluntary political decision to withdraw.