For about twenty-five years, the League of Nations was kept very busy; after World War I ended, the territorial conflicts in Europe did not decrease as had been expected. Many of the issues driving continued conflict were related to the removal of dynasties that had ruled Europe for many centuries. This political destabilization, including the breakup of large empires, was made more dangerous by the new borderlines, which were not always agreeable to both parties.

The war effort had proven very costly to all of the nations involved, but the military failures of Germany, the Ottomans, and Austria-Hungary effectively ended those country's historical dynasties. The Romanov dynasty in Russia was also ended, even though the Russians had fought with the Allies until almost the end of the war. One purpose of the League of Nations was to help countries reform their political affairs and enter into mutually beneficial economic and social relationships. However, the League's attempt to shift Europe away from dynasty-driven politics didn't exactly work out as planned.

Study the tabs below to learn how several dynasties ended and what kinds of political bodies stepped in the fill the vacuum of power.

The Romanov dynasty ruled Russia from 1613 until 1917 when the February Revolution resulted in Nicholas II's abdication. Nicholas knew that his son would not survive as emperor, so he offered his brother was the throne when he stepped down. The political situation seemed very unsteady in Russia, however, and his brother refused the offer. In the end, Nicholas and his family were murdered during the Bolshevik revolution.

Archduke Ferdinand had been next in line to be Kaiser of the Hapsburg dynasty, but he was shot in Serbia in the first moments of Word War I. The Hapsburgs had ruled over numerous European regions and nations, from the Middle Ages through the start of the 20th century. Franz Josef was the last of his line; he died in 1916, knowing that his empire would die with him.

The Ottoman Empire had maintained some degree of control over the regions of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), but they also expanded far into surrounding territories during their many centuries of rule. Their association with the Central Powers led to their partition, or division into arbitrary geographical areas, in World War I, and soon after they were occupied by Western armies. There was a great deal of instability following the end of the Ottoman dynasty, and the effects of the League of Nations partition are still apparent in Iraq, Palestine, Kurdish territories, and other regions that were absorbed by Britain as "war trophies" following World War I.

The Emperor of Germany and Prussia, Wilhelm II, was forced to seek exile in the Netherlands as a result of a general revolt of his armed forces, combined with serious political instability throughout Germany's upper ranks. Wilhelm's dynasty began in 1888, which made it relative newcomer compared with the other more established dynasties in Europe. The line also ruled in Romania until the Russians invaded that country in 1947.

The beginning of the end for the League of Nations came after Russia's invasion of Finland in 1939. Moscow was uncomfortable about how close Finland's border was to their major cities. The Cold War was in its opening stages, and Russia wanted a substantial amount of Finnish territory to serve as a buffer zone since Finland was likely to side with England and France if there were to be another European conflict. The invasion didn't go very well; it took four months for the much bigger Russian force to win. Finland ended up having to cede Russia even more land than had originally been requested. Most of the League members voted against Russia being kicked out, but France, Britain and several other members prevailed. Germany took the confusion and dissent in the League of Nations as an opportunity to leave and begin preparations for the acts of aggression that would lead to World War II.