Nationalism increasingly undermined the foundations of multiethnic empires. World War I was a pivotal point. Two empires, the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman, were among the losers. From their rubble, countries such as Czechoslovakia, Poland and Yugoslavia (re)emerged. Other countries like Jordan, Lebanon Palestine/Israel, and Syria came under the mandate (oversight) of the League of Nations and finally became independent after World War II. Along with the political transitions in Europe, the rest of the world community expanded and changed during the first 40 years of the 20th century. Some states gained independence: other existing states, especially Japan and the United States gradually began to play a more significant role and to undercut European domination of the international system.