How did WWI shape the development of international law and global governance in the 20th century?

• A. It reinforced existing empires and reduced international cooperation
• B. It intensified bilateral diplomacy without new institutions
• C. It led to the League of Nations and new norms around war conduct, diplomacy, and collective security
• D. It had no lasting impact on international law or institutions

Answer: (C)

WWI showed that a global conflict requires a global framework to prevent future wars. In the aftermath, leaders built structures and norms aimed at resolving disputes through dialogue and law rather than force. The League of Nations emerged to provide a formal arena for negotiation, arbitration, economic sanctions, and collective security. It also promoted new standards about how states should conduct diplomacy and how war should be restrained, creating early codifications of international conduct and cooperation that could be extended through treaties and institutions. Even though the League did not stop WWII, it established a model and a set of expectations that the United Nations later built upon, shaping international law and global governance for the rest of the century.