How successful were the League’s attempts at peacekeeping in the 1920s?

overview of LON’s success

• LON appears successful in the 1920s.

• Germany and all central powers from WW1 (Austria, Turkey etc) all members by 1926

• But – major powers were exhausted from WW1.

success of the LON

• Aaland Islands

• Upper Silesia

• Mosul

• Bulgaria

Aaland Islands, 1921

• Sweden and Finland claimed islands in the Baltic.

• Most islanders wanted Swedish control.

• Finland awarded islands after LON intervention.

• Safeguards for islanders – accepted by Sweden. (1921)

Upper Silesia, 1921

• Valuable industrial area between Germany and Poland

• Plebiscite for control – result was that territory should be awarded to Germany.

• Region split between Germany and Poland

• Eastern – Poland – western – Germany.

Mosul, 1924

• Claimed by Turkey

• Part of British mandated Iraq

• LON awarded territory to Iraq

• Accepted by Turkey

Bulgaria, 1925

• Greece ordered to pay £45,000 in compensation over its invasion

• Judged to be disproportionate response to a shooting incident in which one boarder sentry was shot

• Greece accepted, but felt it had been unfairly treated – considering Corfu incident

failures of the LON

• Vilna

• Occupation of the Ruhr

• Corfu

Vilna, 1920

• Made capital of Lithuania – largely Polish population

• Seized by Polish army in 1920

• Poland refused to withdraw whilst a plebiscite was held

• Conference of Ambassadors awarded Vilna to Poland

Occupation of the Ruhr, 1921

• Germany defaulted on its reparations – LON should have addressed the matter

• Instead France and Belgium occupied the area

• Confirmed impression LON was a club for WW1 victors

Corfu incident, 1923

• Exposed the weakness of the LON when dealing with a relatively major power

• August 1923 – Mussolini orderd bombardment of Corfu after the murder by Greece of an Italian general

• Mussoini demanded 50 million lira as well as the execution of the assasins – Greece couldn’t locate them

• Mussolini decided on direct action

• Greece appealed to the LON, Mussolini insisted the council of Ambassadors be used

• Greece ordered to pay compensation – Italy to remove troops from Corfu

• Impression was that the LON could be bullied

• Geneva Protocol devised by France and GB – Members required to agree to the compulsory arbitration of disputes by the permanent Court of International justice.

• Protocol never adopted.

agreements outside of the LON

• Concern over the LONs ability to to resolve major matters

• France very concerned about security and made mutual assistive pacts with Poland and Czechoslovakia as a result.

• Locarno, 1925 – agreed on the boarders (western) of Belgium, France and Germany

• 1928 – France became a signatory of the Kellog Briand pact – designed to outlaw war to solve dispute