Paper two league timeline

Jan 1918

Woodrow Wilson releases his ‘plan for peace’. His 14 points contains the idea of a League of Nations to keep the peace in the future.

28th June 1919

The Treaty of Versailles is signed. The first 26 articles establish how the League will be run. These articles become known as ‘The Covenant’ with article 10 establishing ‘collective security’.

Jan 1920

The League meets for the first time in Geneva. 42 nations are present in the Assembly but neither USA, Russia or the defeated powers are members at this time.

1920

The Poles invade Vilna (capital of newly created Lithuania). Lithuania appeals to the League for help who asked the Poles to pull out. Poland ignores their request and fighting continues throughout the 1920s.

By the end of 1920

By the end of 1920 the League has returned 400,000 prisoners of war to their home countries via their Refugee Commission

Nov 1920

Warren Harding, the Republican candidate, wins the US Presidential election with a campaign calling for ISOLATIONISM. This confirms that the USA will not join the League.

June 1921

The Council rules that the Aaland Islands should belong to Finland. Sweden accepts the League’s decision.

Nov 1921-Feb 1922

The Washington Naval Conference: in an agreement which took place outside of the influence of the League the major naval powers of the world agree to limit their navies in a set ratio to each other (UK/USA/Japan – 5:5:3)

1922 LON charity

Refugee crisis in Turkey sees hundred of thousands in camps. The League works swiftly to stamp out cholera, smallpox and dysentery in these camps.

1922 fiscally

The Bank of Vienna collapses. The League steps in to arrange loans and restore financial security in Austria. In 1923 the League also arranges loans to ensure the financial security of Hungary.

27 Aug 1923

The Italian General Tellini and his team are ambushed and killed while mapping the Greek-Albanian border.

31 Aug 1923

Mussolini bombards and occupies the Greek island of Corfu in retaliation, killing 15 Greeks (including 11 children). Greece appeals to the League.

Sep 1923

Britain & France were not prepared to act together vs Mussolini so the League takes no action. Instead, another organisation, the Conference of Ambassadors makes the final ruling, ordering Greece to apologise and pay 50 million lira to Italy. Triumphant, Mussolini withdraws from Corfu- aggression has paid off.

1924

The Geneva Protocol is drawn up by Britain and France in the wake of Corfu to strengthen the League. It would make member states bring their disputes to the Permanent Court of International Justice for a ruling. They would have to accept it, or face economic or military sanctions.

Oct 1924

The Conservatives defeat the Labour government in a general election and come into power- they refuse to sign the Geneva Protocol as they believe it might compromise British interests. The League is not strengthened.

Oct 1925

The Greek-Bulgarian Dispute: Greece invades Bulgaria after a border incident. Bulgaria appeals to the League who acted swiftly by calling a meeting of the Council. The League ordered Greece to withdraw and pay £45,000 in compensation. Greece complied.

Oct 1925

The Locarno Treaties: Germany, Britain, France and Italy gather in Switzerland and confirm much of the Versailles treaty. Germany accepts its western borders with France & Belgium. A period of internation goodwill known as the ‘Locarno Honeymoon’ ensues.

1926

Germany is admitted to the League of Nations

The League approves the slavery convention- 200,000 slaves are freed in British owned Sierra Leone.

The first plans for a disarmament conference are discussed -no conference takes place until 1932

1928

The Kellogg-Briand Pact: At the height of the period of international goodwill 65 nations meet in Paris and agree not to use force as a means to settle disputes – it appears war has been outlawed.

1929

The Young Plan: in a further display of goodwill and international reconciliation, German reparations are reduced and allied troops are pulled out of the Rhineland five years earlier than planned.

Oct 1929

The Wall Street Crash: the stock market in the US collapses, ushering in the Great Depression. – In 1932 unemployment hits 6 million in Germany and 25% of the US workforce. World trade will decrease by 1/3. The goodwill of the ‘20s is destroyed. Japan is hit by the depression – silk exports fall to 1/5 of their value and the price of rice skyrockets

18th Sep 1931

The Mukden Incident: a section of the Japanese-controlled South Manchurian railway blows up. Within hours the Japanese army invades the Chinese province of Manchuria in retaliation.

Dec 1931

Lord Lytton, who has been appointed by the League to investigate the Mukden Incident, departs Europe for the far east

Jan 1932

Shanghai is bombed by the Japanese with horrific civilian casualties

Feb 1932

The disarmament conference finally gets underway-even the proposal to ban the manufacture of chemical weapons is defeated

1st Oct 1932

The Lytton report is finally published, naming Japan as the aggressors in the conflict and recommending they withdraw their forces.

Feb 1933

The League votes 42-1 in favour of accepting the Lytton Report. Only Japan votes against it and they then promptly leave the League in March 1933 before invading Jehol province the next week.

Feb 1933 (germany)

Having been appointed Chancellor in January, Hitler begins to immediately rearm in secret.

Oct 1933

Hitler pulls Germany out of the disarmament conference and the League altogether.

1934

The disarmament conference finally ends in complete failure

Sep 1934

The USSR finally joins the League

Dec 1934

Italian and Abyssinian troops clash at Wal Wal (80km inside Abyssinia). Mussolini demands an apology and readies his technologically superior forces for invasion.

April 1935

Italy, France and Britain sign the Stresa Front to combat German aggression and rearmament

Oct 1935

Italian troops invade Abyssinia with tanks, planes and flamethrowers, immediately pushing back the tribesmen The Council passes sanctions on Italy banning loans/arms/coal but crucially does not sanction oil or close the Suez canal.

Dec 1935

The Hoare- Lavel Plan: The British and French foreign ministers hatch a plan to end the war in Abyssinia by giving Mussolini 2/3 of the country. There is outcry when the details are leaked to the press

March 1936

Witnessing the success of aggression in Abyssinia, Hitler remilitarises the Rhineland.

May 1936

Addis Ababa, the Abyssinian capital falls to the Italians. The Abyssinian emperor Haile Selassie is forced into exile.

June 1936

Haile Selassie addresses the Assembly in Geneva, highlighting their miserable failure in the crisis: "I, Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, am here today to claim that justice which is due to my people”

July 1937

Japan invades the rest of China – some historians see this as the true start of WW2

1937

Italy, one of the original permanent members of the council, leaves the League.

From 1937

The League ceases to function as a peace-keeping organisation.The final meeting of the League will take place in April 1946 when the UN took its place.