League of Nations

When was League of Nations formed

January 10 1920

Which treaty created the League of Nations

The Treaty of Versailles

What were the 4 aims of the League of Nations

• Discourage aggression from any nation

• Encourage countries to co-operate, especially in business and trade

• Encourage nations to disarm

• Improve living and workign conditions

Who were the most powerful members of the League of Nations

Britain, France, and Italy

What was Article 10

Collective Security

Who were the permanent members of the council in 1920s

Britain, France, Italy, and Japan

How often did the council meet

about 5 times a year

How often did the Assembly meet

once a year

What did each member of the council have

A veto

What was the role of the assembly

To deal with general issues, new members and budget

What was the role of the Council

to deal with international disputes

Name two successes (disputes) in the 1920s

Aaland islands and the Bulgaria-Greece conflict.

What and when was the Aaland islands dispute

Sweden vs Finland 1921

What and when was Silesia

Poland vs Germany 1921

When was the Greece-Bulgaria conflict

1925

What general successes did the league have

Health, Slavery and Refugees

What were 3 failures of the League in the 1920s

• Manchuria Crisis 1931-1933

• Abyssinia crisis 1935-1936

• Disarmament Conference 1932-1934

What were the reasons for the failure of the League

• No army

• USA wasn’t a member

• Unanimous decisions

• Key members such asd Britain and Fracne were weak and self-interested

• Big powers like Italy and Japan ignored the League

What were the commissions of the League

Mandates Commissions, Refugees Committee, Slavery Commision, Health Committee

What happened during the Aaland Islands dispute

League ruled in favour of Finland, Sweden accepted
Success for the league as it was a peaceful resolution

What happened in Bulgaria 1925

• Border clash between Greece and Bulgaria, greece invades

• League orders ceasefire and asks Greece to pay compensation as the aggressor

• Success

Why was Bulgaria 1925 a success

The League intervened quickly, took firm decisions, both parties agreed

What happened in Corfu 1923

An italian general murdered on greek soil,
Italian armed forces occupy greek island of corfu
League asks Mussolini to leave, ignoring the league decision he asks conference of ambassadors to make a decision, conference asks greece to pay compensation to Italy for Corfu
Failure

Why was Corfu 1923 a failure

Showed the League’s weakness when it came to enforcing rules on a super power country
Seen as weak as it could not outweigh an outside organisation’s verdict

What was Vilna 1920

Poland seizing Lithuania’s capital Vilna
The league asks Poland to withdraw but Poland refuses
France will not go against Poland as they see it as a potential ally
Vilna awarded to Poland
Failure

Why was Vilna 1920 a failure

The league was unable to stop polish aggression, and France’s national interests overpowered international need for justice

What was collective security

Key principle of the League of Nations that all members could expect to be secure as the other members of the League would defend them from attack

Problem with Collective security

• League did not have its own army

• Absence of USA and Russia meant that placing sanctions would be less effective

• Most members prioritised national interests over international interests

Successes with the Refugees

• Resettled around 400,000 prisoners of war

• Provided millions of refugees with food, shelter and employment

Successes with Health

• Promoted vaccine campaigns

• Stopped the outbreak of typhus in Eastern Europe

• Campaigns to fight malaria, smallpox and leprosy

Successes with Slavery

• Supported abolition of slavery in Ehiopia and Liberia

• Strived to end forced labour in colonial territories

• Reduced trafficking of women and children

• Put pressure on colonial powers to act on the issue

Main global economic consequence that weakened the League in the 1930s

Great Depression

How did the Great Depression affect military spending and diplomacy

Governments reduced spending, reluctant to impose sanctions or use military force, turned to aggressive nationalism

Why did Japan invade Manchuria in 1931

Japan was hit hard by the Depression, needed resources and markets for exports. Manchuria had fertile land and raw materials

League’s response to the Manchurian invasion

Set up the Lytton Commission, took over a year to report, condemned Japan but no sanctions were applied

Japan’s reaction to League’s reports on Manchuria

Japan rejected the report and left the League in 1933 showing the League’s powerlessness

Why did Manchurian crisis show the league’s weakness

proved the league had no army, couldn’t act quickly, member countries didn’t want to sanction major powers like Japan

Why did Mussolini invade Abyssinia in 1935

To rebuild the Roman Empire, distract from domestic issues, gain resources; The league had failed in Manchuria encouraging him

How did the League respond to the Abyssinian crisis

Imposed limited sanctions (but no oil ban) and did not close the Suez Canal allowing Mussolini to continue the invasion

What was the Hoare-Laval pact

Secret deal between Britain and France to give mussolini two-thirds of Abyssinia

Why was the Hoare-Laval pact controversial

It undermined the league and was leaked to the public

Why was the absence of the USA a major issue

League lacked worlds most powerful economy and military, sanctions less effective, international influence weaker

Long term impact of the 1930s crisis on the League

League lost credibility and authority; members began ignoring it or leaving it, played no major role after 1936

How did Germany exploit the League’s failures

Hitler withdrew from the Disarmament conference and League in 1933, rearmed openly while the League did nothign effective

Why did the league eventually collapse

Failed to stop aggression, lost key members, couldn’t enforce decisions, was replaced by more direct diplomacy and eventually the UN