IGCSE CIE HISTORY CHAPTER 2 League of Nations

CIE IGCSE HISTORY LEAGUE OF NATIONS CHAPTER 2

What was the main purpose of the League of Nations?

To prevent another war as devastating as the Great War

What were the 3 competing ideas for the League of Nation’s organization?

Woodrow Wilson-Parliamentary System

Britain-Simple organization that would only be called upon when truly needed like the Conference of Ambassadors

France-A strong and effective League of Nations

Who’s idea for the League of Nations won?

Wilson’s

What nations weren’t allowed to join the League of Nations at first and why?

-USSR

-Germany=Had to prove that they were a peace-loving nation

Why were USA’s Public against it and why was congress against the league of nations?

People

• Many German Americans hated the treaty of Versailles

• Economic sanctions could hurt US businesses

• People feared that USA would get involved in wars

• Feared the League of Nations would be mostly dominated by Britain and France

Why was Congress against It

• Warren Harding was an opponent republican and was an isolationist

• Many republicans hated Wilson because he was a democrat

• People wanted to be isolationists

What were the two main ways that the League of Nations would enforce their decisons?

Economic Sanctions and Military Intervention

What were the main aims of the League of Nations?

-Discourage Aggression

-To encourage Cooperation between nations

-Encourage disarmament

-Improve living standards and working conditions

-Collective security through Article 10 of the Covenant

What were its main members and goals?

France and Britain were selfish and mostly cared about their own security and was willing to bypass the League of Nations

The USA was not a member and due to this fact, many of the economic measures and influence needed to make the League of Nations successful was impossible making people believe the league was doomed

How many members in the League of Nations?

42 Nations

When did the main members of the league join and left?

FRANCE 1919-45

UK 1919-45
ITALY 1919-37
JAPAN 1919-33
GERMANY 1926-33
USSR 1934-1939

What were the different departments of the League of Nations?

Secretariat

• Civil Service working with every part of the League of Nations

• Record Keepers

• Brought Experts together

Assembly

• Every member has a seat

• Parliamentary system

• Voted on new members

• All decisions had to be unanimous

• Made recommendations to the council

• Only met once a year

Council

• small group which could meet 5 times a year

• Permanent members had veto powers

• temporary members were elected for 3-year terms

• Had 3 ways to resolve disputes=Economic Sanctions, Military force, condemnation

Permanent Court of International Justice

• Based at the Hague

• Settled disputes including border disputes

• No power

International Labor Organization

• ILO focused on bringing employers, workers, and governments together

• Aimed to improve working conditions

• Collected statistics and persuaded countries to follow suggestion

The Mandate Comision

• Make sure Mandates were being treated fairly

Refugee Committee

• Deal with the immense amount of refugees after the First World War

Slavery Commission

• worked to end slavery in Africa

The Health Committee

• Health and Safety

• Brought experts from all across the world

What were the main 8 conflicts the League of Nations were involved in early on?

1. Saar Territory

2. Vilna

3. Aaland Dispute

4. Corfu Crisis

5. German Settlers

6. POWs in Siberia

7. Bulgaria vs. Greece

8. Bulgaria refugee settlement

What were the two main success and failures early on?

Success

• Bulgaria and Greek Crisis

• Aaland Dispute

Failures

• Corfu Crisis

• Vilna Dispute

Explain the Vilna: Polish-Lithuanian Dispute, 1920-1929

-Following the withdrawal of Soviet Troops from Vilna Polish Troops occupied the city in 1920

-Lithuania and the League of Nations urged for a plebiscite, but the polish refused

-The League of Nations refused to pursue actions because they feared escalation

Explain the Aaland Island Dispute 1921

-Swedes were residents in Aaland

-Finland Controlled the Island

-Conflict almost broke out

-The League of Nations came up with a settlement which granted Swedish extra protections (removal of Fin troops) which the Finnish and Swedes were happy with it

Explain the Events of Corfu 1923

-Tellini was killed whilst trying to settle the border dispute between Greece and Albania

-Mussolini bombarded the island of Corfu killing 15 people in response

-Greece petitioned the League of Nations for help

-The League of Nations condemned the attacks but also suggested compensation from Greece

-Mussolini refused and refused to let the matter rest and the League let him have his way

-Mussolini returned with compensation and apologies by order of the Conference of Ambassadors

Why didn’t the League do anything against Italy in the Corfu Crisis?

-France refused to join Britain and intervene since their troops were stuck in the Ruhr

-Italy threatened to leave

What was the Geneva Protocol?

-A policy that would require member nations to settle and accept disputes and resolutions through the League of Nations

-Britain refused to sign fearing that they’d have to do something against their own interests

How was the Geneva Protocol, Corfu Crisis, and Vilna Dispute examples of problems in the League of Nations?

Geneva

-Personal Interests above collective good

Corfu

-Lack of unity

-Personal interest

-Lack of available options to enforce rulings

-Unable to control powerful nations

Vilna

-Personal interest

Explain the Bulgaria-Greek conflict

-Following the killing of a few Greek Soldiers Greece invaded Bulgaria

-League of Nations made a made a decisive ruling and made Greece withdraw and pay 45,000 pounds

What were some criticisms of the League of Nation’s handling of the Greek-Bulgaria conflict?

-Refused to punish Italy for a very similar thing

-Showed that the League needed a united front to deal with powers and would fail otherwise

Why was failure at disarmament not seem like such a big deal in the 1920s?

-Rise in a wide range of international treaties and arrangements

• 1921-Washington Conference restricted navy’s size

• 1922-Rapallo Treaty: USSR and Germany reestablished relations

• 1924-Dawes Plan: US lent money to Germany

• 1925-Locarno Treaty: Germany accepted territorial changes and joined the LoN

• 1928-Kellog-Briand Pact: 65 nations agreed to not use force in disputes

• 1929-Young Plan: reduced Germany’s repayment

-Economic Recovery

• Economic recovery through the Dawes Plan

• More trade between nations made war less likely

-Internationalism

• led nations to discuss and work together more often

Was the league a success in the 1920s?

-Mostly a success

-Showed that it needed complete unity for the League to Succeed

What did the Refugee committee do?

-Over 400,00 POWs returned after WW1

-Set up refugee camps for hundreds of thousands in Turkey 1922

-Stopped Cholera, small-pox, and dysentery epidemics in those camps

-Limited funds and work got increasingly difficult in the 1930s

International Labor Organization do?

-banned White Led Paint

-Limited Child Labor hours

-Campaigned to Improve working conditions

-limited work weeks to 48 hours and 8 hour work days though most members didn’t listen

-Limited funds and power

What did the Health Committee do?

-Collected statistical information

-Funded research in Singapore, Denmark, and London leading to Vaccines

-Spread Best Practice

-Mostly a success and eventually became W.H.O in 1945

Slavery Commission do what?

-Freed over 200,00 Slaves in UK controlled Sierre-Leone

-Raided traders and owners in Burma

-Challenged slavery on the Tanginika Railway reducing slave labor from 50% to 4%

What miscellanious humanitarian work did the League of Nations perform?

-Created vast highways and shipping lanes

-Blacklisted 4 drug trafficking companies

-Kept records of crimes such as prostitution, drug trafficking, and slavery

What happened to cause Economic depression in the 1930s?

Wallstreet Crash in 1929

Why did the Economic Depression destroy international relations?

-US loans stopped leading the bankruptcy and unemployment

-Countries tried to protect themselves with import tariffs

-Nations had to rearm to counteract unemployment

How did the Economic Depression effect major nations?

UK-refused to play a role in international disputes

USA-refused to assist in economic sanctions

JAPAN-Main export to was silk to the USA without it they needed to invade other nations to rebuild economy

ITALY-Built a foreign empire as a distraction

GERMANY- Vast suffering gave rise to Hitler

Why did Japan Invade Manchuria?

-needed resources from other nations to stay afloat

-needed to build a military to counteract unemployment

Explain the events of the Manchurian Crisis?

-1931 an alleged Chinese attack at the South Manchurian Railway led Japan to Invade (MUKDEN INCIDENT)

-JAPANESE CIVILIAN GOVERNMENT OPPOSED IT but the MILITARY WAS in CONTROL

-China appeals to the league of nations leading to Lytton Report

• Japan argued self-defense and instability in the region

• Found that Japan acted unlawfully

• People in the league didn’t really care

• 42-1 ratified

-Japan invaded Jehol the next week

What was the League of Nation’s Reaction to the Manchurian Crisis?

-French and British refused to get involved

-Without the USA economic sanctions wouldn’t work

-USSR and USA were the only nations who could defeat Japan however both were not members

-Too afraid for war

-Couldn’t agree to an arms embargo

Why was it important Manchurian Crisis?

-Gave Hitler and Mussolini ideas

-Showed that they couldn’t control powerful nations

Why did disarmament fail?

Conference in February 1932

-limited chemical weapons

-tonnage of tanks

-size of artillery

-bombing of civilians

No plans followed

-Germany needed to rebuild and left the league

• nations followed suit

1934 conference

-Britain was okay with German Rearmament

-Anglo-German naval agreement

-Everyone was selfish

Why did Italy invade Abyssinia?

-Embarrassed by the battle of Adowa

-Mussolini needed a victory to maintain the dictatorship

-Drew parallels to Rome

-Needed land and resources

Explain Phase one of the Abyssinia Crisis?

Wal-Wal Oasis conflict led Mussolini to building up an armed force

Italy prepares for invasion

LoN didn’t take the invasion seriously

Signed a the Stresa pact against Germany’ rearmament

British people supported intervention

Britain now wants to get tough

What happened in Phase 2?

Full scale invasion 1935

-LoN had to act

• banned arms trade

• banned loans

• banned imports from Italy

• Banned exports

-Decision delayed due to fear of losing jobs 30,000 coal miners

-Suez Canal still opened

-No oil sanctions

-USA sold more oil

Hoare-Laval effect?

-Slowed down sanctions

-Sacked Hoare and Laval

-Secret treaties and betrayal

-If UK didn’t agree France would stop sanctions

Effect of the Abyssinia Crisis

-Conquered Abyssinia

-Haile Selassie exiled

-Italy and Germany became allied

-Final nail in the coffin of the League of Nations

-Showed that the League of Nations was a facade