To what extent was the League of Nations a success?

Why didn’t the USA join the League?

US Senate feared future wars; isolationism.

How did US absence weaken the League?

Lost world’s strongest, richest, most influential power.

Why wasn’t Germany allowed to join at first?

Had to prove peaceful intentions post-WW1.

When did Germany join and leave the League?

Joined 1926; left 1933 under Hitler.

Why was Soviet Russia not invited?

Communist; seen as ideologically hostile.

When did Soviet Russia join and get expelled?

Joined 1934; expelled 1939 after invading Finland.

Why did Japan leave the League?

Criticism for invading Manchuria (1933).

Why did Italy leave the League?

Sanctions after invading Abyssinia (1937).

Why did Britain and France weaken League action?

Focused on own interests and security.

Three main organs of the League?

Secretariat, Assembly, Council.

Role of the Secretariat?

Administrative/financial work.

How often did the Assembly meet?

Once per year.

What could the Assembly do?

Admit members, control budget, discuss policy.

Role of the Council?

Executive body; acted in crises.

Permanent Council members in 1920?

Britain, France, Italy, Japan.

When did Germany become a permanent member?

1926.

Main purpose of the International Labour Organisation?

Improve working conditions globally.

Mandates Commission role?

Supervise ex-German and Turkish colonies.

Danzig Commission role?

Direct control of former German city.

Minorities Commission goal?

Improve treatment of minorities.

Intellectual Cooperation Organisation role?

Promote cultural/intellectual exchange.

Special Committee for Drug Traffic role?

Reduce drug misuse and smuggling.

Three stages of collective security?

Moral disapproval; economic sanctions; military sanctions.

What is moral disapproval?

League condemns aggression publicly.

What are economic sanctions?

Trade boycotts; refusal of credit.

When were military sanctions used?

Last resort, members send forces.

Why was collective security weakened?

US absence reduced pressure and effectiveness.

What was the main voting rule for decisions in the League's Assembly and Council?

All decisions required a unanimous vote to pass.

How did the unanimity rule specifically hinder action against an aggressor?

A single negative vote from any member (excluding the aggressor) was enough to block any motion.

What was the League's direct military capability?

The League had no standing army of its own.

How did the lack of an army affect the enforcement of military sanctions?

The League had to ask member states to contribute forces, a slow process with no guarantee of success.

Why was the unanimity rule deliberately implemented despite its drawbacks?

To prevent domination by major powers and give all member countries an equal say.

What underlying factor made the 1920s a misleading indicator of the League's strength?

Major powers were exhausted from WWI and focused on domestic issues, avoiding international conflicts.

What was the general perception of the League's success in the 1920s?

It appeared very successful, with no major wars and important nations like Germany joining.

What was the nature of most of the League's successes in the 1920s?

They involved resolving relatively minor disputes between smaller nations.

Aaland Islands (1921): Who were the disputing parties and what was the League's ruling?

Sweden and Finland claimed the islands, whose population was predominantly Swedish. The League awarded sovereignty to Finland but enforced demilitarization and guaranteed the islanders' Swedish culture and language, a compromise both nations accepted.

Upper Silesia (1921): What was the dispute and the League's solution?

After an inconclusive plebiscite led to violent riots, the League conducted a detailed analysis of economic and voting patterns. It partitioned the territory, giving most towns and the industrial heartland to Poland while awarding the larger western portion to Germany, a complex but accepted solution.

Mosul (1924): What was Turkey's claim, and on what grounds did the League award the territory to Iraq?

Turkey revived a historical claim to the oil-rich Mosul province after the Ottoman Empire's collapse. The League's commission, citing the majority Kurdish population's wishes and the region's economic ties to Baghdad, awarded it to the British mandate of Iraq, a decision Turkey ultimately accepted.

Greece-Bulgaria (1925): Detail the initial incident, Greece's disproportionate response, and the League's decisive ruling.

After a border clash killed a Greek soldier, Greece launched a full-scale invasion of Bulgaria. The League demanded an immediate Greek withdrawal and imposed financial compensation on Greece, upholding the principle that minor border incidents cannot justify invasion.

What was the specific humanitarian crisis faced by the League's Refugee Organisation?

It dealt with hundreds of thousands of stranded WWI prisoners and over a million Greek refugees from the Turkish War of Independence.

How did Fridtjof Nansen's leadership make the Refugee Organisation effective?

He used ingenious improvisations like issuing "Nansen passports," setting up camps, and teaching new trades to repatriate or resettle 425,000 people by 1922.

What specific global health achievements did the Health Organisation accomplish?

It prevented a typhus epidemic in Siberia, reduced leprosy, launched anti-mosquito campaigns against malaria, and developed internationally accepted vaccines for diphtheria and tuberculosis.

How did the Economic and Financial Organisation rescue Austria's economy?

It provided a substantial loan and implemented a plan to stabilize Austria's currency by controlling interest rates and banknote circulation, which balanced the budget and revived trade.

What concrete workplace standards did the International Labour Organisation (ILO) promote?

It advocated for the 8-hour day/48-hour week, paid annual holidays, minimum employment age (15), and the right to join trade unions, establishing new global labor benchmarks.

What were the specific documented successes of the Slavery Commission?

It freed 200,000 slaves in Sierra Leone and reduced African worker deaths on the Tanganyika railway from 50% to 4%, while convincing Iraq and Jordan to abolish slavery.

Why exactly did the Disarmament Commission fail in the 1920s?

Only defeated powers disarmed by treaty obligation; major powers couldn't agree on technical definitions, preventing a World Disarmament Conference until 1932.

What specifically happened in the Vilna (1920) dispute and how was the League bypassed?

Polish forces seized the Lithuanian capital; the League proposed a plebiscite but Poland refused, and the Conference of Ambassadors ultimately awarded Vilna to Poland.

How did the Ruhr occupation (1923) demonstrate the League's impotence?

France and Belgium invaded Germany's industrial heartland over reparations without consulting the League, exposing it as a "victors' club" that couldn't control its own members.

What were the key events and outcome of the Corfu Incident (1923)?

Mussolini invaded Corfu after an Italian general's murder; the League condemned it but the Conference of Ambassadors forced Greece to pay Italy compensation, rewarding aggression.

What was the fundamental weakness of the Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)?

While 65 nations renounced war, the pact contained no enforcement mechanisms or consequences for violations, making it merely a statement of intentions.

What were the main consequences of the World Depression for the League of Nations?

It empowered extremist regimes, discouraged economic sanctions as nations protected trade, and reduced military spending, weakening the League's ability to counter aggression.

Why did Japan invade Manchuria in 1931?

Japan sought Manchuria's resources and land to solve its economic crisis caused by the Depression, which had devastated its silk export trade.

What was the Mukden Incident?

Japanese soldiers staged an explosion on a railway line in September 1931 as a pretext to invade and occupy all of Manchuria.

How did the League initially respond to the invasion of Manchuria?

It failed to impose sanctions due to European fears of losing trade, provoking Japanese attacks on their colonies, and the military difficulty of intervention.

What was the purpose and conclusion of the Lytton Commission?

The League sent Lord Lytton to investigate; his report found Japanese aggression unjustified, leading Japan to leave the League after the Assembly accepted the report.

Why was the League's response to the Manchurian crisis slow and ineffective?

The Lytton Commission took 18 months, and without US or Soviet membership, military action was impossible during a global economic crisis.

What were the main reasons for the failure of the World Disarmament Conference (1932-1934)?

France and its allies feared German aggression and distrusted collective security, while nations generally refused to disarm without guarantees others would do likewise.

What overall failure marked the League's collapse in the 1930s?

It failed to stop the aggressive actions of Japan, Germany, and Italy, and could not prevent the outbreak of World War II, becoming irrelevant by 1936.

What were Mussolini's motives for invading Abyssinia in 1935?

To avenge Italy's 1896 defeat at Adowa, boost his popularity during economic recession, and build a new Roman Empire.

How did the League initially respond to Italy's invasion of Abyssinia?

It condemned Italian aggression and imposed economic sanctions, but these excluded vital oil and kept the Suez Canal open.

What was the Hoare-Laval Pact and why did it fail?

A secret British-French deal giving Italy two-thirds of Abyssinia; it collapsed when leaked to the press, causing public outrage.

Why were Britain and France reluctant to strongly oppose Italy during the crisis?

They prioritized keeping Italy as an ally against Germany over defending League principles and Abyssinian sovereignty.

What was the ultimate consequence of the Abyssinian crisis for the League?

The League's failure proved its irrelevance, Italy left in 1937 and allied with Germany, and collective security was fatally discredited.

How did the League's role change after the Abyssinian crisis?

It was completely bypassed on major issues like the Anschluss and Munich Agreement, becoming irrelevant in world affairs.

What was the specific border incident that Mussolini used as a pretext for invasion?

The Wal Wal incident of December 1934, a clash between Italian and Abyssinian forces in a disputed border zone.

What modern weapons did Italy use that shocked the world and violated international agreements?

They used bombers, tanks, and most controversially, poison gas against Abyssinian troops and civilians.

What crucial strategic waterway did the League fail to close, allowing Italy to supply its army?

The Suez Canal, which was controlled by Britain and France, who kept it open for Italian ships.

Which two foreign ministers were responsible for the secret Hoare-Laval Pact?

Britain's Sir Samuel Hoare and France's Pierre Laval.