Chapter 2: The League of Nations and international relations in the 1920's pt. 2.3+2.4

Gold Standard

A monetary system that set the value of currency directly linked to the value of gold.

Locarno Conference

Conference that main outcome was Germany, France and Belgium promising to respect their joint frontiers. Accepting the borders of the Paris Peace Conference.

Kellogg-Briand Pact

A pact between 62 nations that had the signing nations renounce war and agreed to settle disputes by peaceful means. However, there weren't any repercussions if the nation were to not have done anything

Young plan

A deal that had aimed to help Weimar pay its reparations by reducing it from £6.6 billion to £2 billion and to be payed in 59 years. Also tried to get the Polish corridor

Covenant

A binding agreement that was made between nations.

Nobel Peace Prize

1 of 5 noble prizes created by Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, awarded annually to those who had done the most to encourage international peace and harmony.

Arbitration

Settling a dispute between two parties by an impartial third party.

Collective Security

Idea that if one of the member state of the LON was threatened, the rest would work together to defend it.

economic sanctions

Refusal to trade with a nation that was acting in defiance of the LON judgements. Hoped economic pressure would force the aggressor nation to back down.

International red cross

Organization founded in Geneva, Switzerland, 1863 with the aim to ease the suffering of those who were adversely affected by war and armed conflict across the world. Won nobel peace prize 3 times.

Unanimous

Decision that is agreed by everyone

Permanent Council

Original members being Britain, France, Italy, and Japan. Then Germany joined as the fifth member. As Germany and Japan left, the USSR was added.

Non-permanent council

Members chosen by General Assembly every 3 years. The first 4 were Belgium, Brazil, Greece and Spain. However the number increased from 6 to 9 to 11.

Secretariat

Carried out the day-to-day work of the League - preparing its agenda, publishing reports, and dealing with routine but vital matters.

Permanent Court of International Justice

Often called World court, that was created to deal with legal disputes between states but soon replaced by the International court of justice.

Repatriation

Returning people, such as prisoners of war, refugees or migrants, to their country of origin.

Commissions

Established by the LON to deal with primarily mandates, disarmaments, refugees and slavery.

Committees

Established by the LON to deal with matters relating to international labour, health, child welfare, drug problems and women's rights.

Council of Ambassadors

An intergovernmental agency that was implanted in 1920 with the task of implementing the terms of the Paris Peace settlement and meditating territorial disputes between European states.

Teschen

A coal-mining region located between Poland and Czechoslovakia after the break-up of the German and Austro-Hungarian empires. LON arbitrated the dispute by splitting the region between the two.

Åland islands

A group of some 6,500 islands situated midway Sweden and Finland. The two fought over control of the islands and LON decided the island should remain with Finland.

Upper silesia

An industrial area on the border between Germany and Poland, both fought for it. LON decided to split the area between the two, accepted by both and Silesians themselves.

Yugo-albanian border dispute

Open dispute between Yugoslavia and Albania following their ongoing dispute over territory. The LON found in favor of Albania after Yugoslav troops entered Albanian territory.

Memel

A port that the surrounding area was placed under the control of the LON by the Treaty of Versailles. However, Lithuania had claimed the area and invaded it. Soon was given to them but the port remained an international zone.

Mosul

A city (with oil in the area) that once belonged to the Turkish empire which became part of Britain mandate of iraq. Turkish demanded for it back but the LON went in favor of iraq and Britain, Turks had to accept it.

Treaty of Riga

A treaty that formally ended the polish soviet war between Poland and russia. Poland gained 80k sq km of territory.

Greece-Bulgaria border dispute

Greece invaded Bulgaria but Bulgaria sent troops to offer a token of resistance to avoid conflict; LON says Greece has to withdraw and pay reparations

Vilna

Polish troops occupied Vilna (capitol of Lithuania; polish dominated population); LoN ordered Poland to remove its troops and hold a plebiscite; Poland agreed but later annexed the area anyway.

Invasion of ruhr

French and Belgian troops were sent to occupy the German industrial city of Ruhr and funnel goods to France as reparation in response to the German government being unable to pay reparations for WWI.

Corfu

In 1923, after 3 Italian officials were killed on the border between Greece and Albania, Mussolini occupied this Greek island in defiance of the League of Nations. Greece ended up having to pay considerable compensation to italy.

financial assistance

Provided by the LON to provide vital financial assistance to many countries facing economic difficulties.