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Covenant of the League

An agreement/promise among member states of the League

the four main aims were:

• discourage aggression from any nation

• Article 10- Collective security (Act together to prevent war)

• promote international cooperation and trade

• improve peoples living and working conditions

Articles

articles" refer to the individual sections of the Covenant of the League of Nations,

Some key articles included:

• Article 1: Defined membership and conditions for joining the League.

• Article 2: Established the League’s governing bodies, including the Assembly and Council.

• Article 10: Committed members to respect and preserve the territorial integrity and independence of other nations.

• Article 16: Defined sanctions against nations that resorted to war in violation of the Covenant.

Victorious countries

Britain, France, USA (didnt join), Italy, Japan etc

The Council

• smaller group than the assembly that met more often - about 5 times a year (or more in case of an emergency

• each permanent member had a veto

• main aim was to resolve disputes by talking, if this did not work the council could use any of the powers

• they supervised the work of the commissions

• permanent powers were: Britain, France, Italy and Japan

• Temporary: elected by assembly every 3 years

Council’s powers

• Moral condemnation

• economic and financial sanctions

• military force

the assembly

• The leagues ‘Parliament’

• met once a year

• decisions must be unanimous

• controlled the leagues budget

• every country in the league sent representatives

The assembly’s powers

• recommend action to the council

• vote on emitting new members to the league

The Secretariat

• a sort of civil service serving all the other bodies within the league

• kept records of the league meetings and prepared reports

• key role was in bringing together experts from across the world on key issues such as heath, disarmament and economic matters

The Permanent Court of international Justice

• made up of Judges from the member countries

• meant to play key role in settling disputes peacefully

• if asked would give a decision on border disputes

• however had no way to make sure countries followed the ruling

The International Labour Organisation

brought together employers, governments and workers representatives

aim was to improve conditions of working people throughout the world

League’s commissions

• the Mandate Commission

• The refugee committee

• the Slavery Commission

• The Health Committee

The Mandate Commission

• WW1 led to many former colonies of Germany and its allies ending up as the league’s mandates, ruled by Britain and France on the behalf of the League

• a team of expert adviser’s job was to report to the league on how people in mandates were being treated

• the members of the Mandate Commission’s aim was to make sure that Britain and France acted in the interests of the people in the territories, not their own

The Refugee Committee

• Thousands of refugees fled from areas of conflict due to the war.

• after the war, some were trying to get back to their homes and others had no homes to go to

• the most pressing problems were in former Russian territories

The Slavery Commission

• worked to abolish slavery world-wide

• particularly issue in east Africa, but slavery was also a major concern in many other parts of the world

• the Commission also tried to help workers who were not technically slaves but were treated like slaves

Mukden

Incident occurred in 1931 in Manchuria.

• Japan staged an attack on its own railway (the South Manchurian Railway) near Mukden, and blamed it on Chinese

• Used this as an excuse to invade Manchuria

The Manchurian Crisis

• In 1931

• Invasion and Occupation: Japan quickly occupied Manchuria, establishing a puppet state called Manchukuo.

• League of Nations' Response:

  • China appealed to the League of Nations for help.

  • The League sent the Lytton Commission to investigate.

  • The Commission's report condemned Japan's actions, but Japan ignored the condemnation.

• Japan's Defiance: Japan refused to withdraw from Manchuria and eventually withdrew from the League of Nations in 1933.

• Impact: The crisis demonstrated the weakness of the League of Nations in the face of aggression and highlighted the organization's inability to enforce its resolutions against a major power.

• Long-term Consequences: It emboldened other aggressive powers and contributed to the escalating tensions that led to World War II.

Lord Lytton

• Led League of Nations' Lytton Commission to investigate the Mukden Incident (Manchuria, 1931-1932).

• His report criticized Japan, but was too slow to alter Japan's behavior.

• In response to the Lytton Report, Japan rejected the League of Nations' condemnation and eventually withdrew from the League in 1933, further solidifying its control over Manchuria.

Abyssinian crisis

• 1935-1937.

• Cause: Mussolini, sought to expand its colonial empire by invading Abyssinia

• League of Nations' Response: The League condemned Italy's aggression and imposed economic sanctions, but these were limited and ineffective due to lack of support/self interest from key members like Britain and France.

• Impact: The crisis highlighted the League of Nations' weakness and failure to prevent aggression, further undermining its credibility and contributing to the outbreak of World War II.

Stresa Pact

• Date: April 1935

• Participants: Britain, France, and Italy

• Britian and France were desperate to maintain a good relationship with Italy, so decide to create the Stresa pact. It was a formal statement against German Rearmament, and a commitment to stand against Germany. Because Mussolini seemed to be the biggest ally against Hitler

Haile Selassie

Emperor of Ethiopia who sought League of Nations' support against Italy's invasion. His plea underscored the League's failing collective security as sanctions failed to halt Italy's conquest.

Suez Canal & Abyssinian Crisis

During the Abyssinian Crisis, Britain (controlling the Suez Canal) allowed Mussolini's ships to pass, fearing disrupted relations. This aided Italy's invasion, showcasing the League's weakness and member self-interest.

Hoare-Laval Pact

• Date: December 1935

• Participants: Secret agreement between British Foreign Secretary Samuel Hoare and French Prime Minister Pierre Laval.

• Terms: Proposed to concede large areas of Abyssinia to Italy in exchange for a halt to the war. Mussolini was offered 2/3 of Abyssinia.

• Outcome: Got leaked to the press and led to Public outrage which led to the pact's failure and the resignations of Hoare and Laval. Damaged the League's credibility and emboldened Mussolini.

Rome-Berlin Axis

Alliance between Italy and Germany (1936-1939), symbolizing fascist powers challenging the League of Nations.

anti-cominterm pact

Germany and Japan, November 1936

Conference of Ambassadors

The Conference of Ambassadors was a body established to oversee the implementation and interpretation of the peace treaties following World War I.

Isolationism

a policy of remaining apart from the affairs and disputes of other groups, especially the political affairs of other countries

Wall Street Crash

October 1929

Corfu crisis

1923- between Italy and Greece

There were 4 important actions over Corfu:

• ❖Italy did not accept action by the League in Corfu.

• ❖The League responded quickly and ordered Italy to leave Corfu.

• ❖Italy refused and demanded the question be passed to the Conference of Ambassadors, which was responsible for overseeing the peace settlement.

• ❖The Conference of Ambassadors also ordered Italy to leave Corfu, but agreed that Greece should pay compensation.

• ❖It revealed the League would give preferential treatment to powerful and aggressive members, like Italy.

• ❖It led to the Geneva Protocol, which was an attempt to make the League of Nations fairer.

• ❖It also highlighted that when Britain and France did not stand united, they showed weakness.

Bulgaria

1925- Greece and Bulgaria

• It reacted quickly to the invasion.

• ❖It promptly called a meeting in Paris.

• ❖It reached the decision that both sides should stand down, and Greek forces should leave Bulgaria immediately.

• ❖After further investigation, the League decided it favoured Bulgaria's version of events.

• ❖Greece was forced to pay £45,000 in compensation and threatened with sanctions.

The Greeks complained the League had one rule for Italy, as during the Corfu dispute, and another rule for them. They felt the League had been hypocritical but nevertheless agreed.

The Geneva protocol

The Geneva Protocol (1924):

• This proposal, primarily driven by Britain and France, aimed to strengthen the League of Nations' commitment to collective security.

• It proposed compulsory arbitration of disputes and the designation of aggressors in international conflicts.

• It would have required member states to submit disputes to the Permanent Court of International Justice for a ruling, and to accept the court's decision, or face sanctions.

• The proposal was ultimately shelved due to opposition from countries like the United States and concerns within Britain, particularly from Conservatives. 

Protectionism

Protectionism in the League of Nations era was when countries made it harder for foreign goods to enter their markets. They did this by using tariffs (extra taxes on imports) and trade restrictions to protect their own businesses and workers.

After World War I, many countries were struggling financially, so they wanted to keep their economies strong by limiting competition from other nations. But this made global trade more difficult and sometimes caused conflicts between countries, which was opposite to what the League of Nations wanted—international cooperation and economic stability.

Aaland Islands

1921- success

between Finland and Sweden

LofN ruled in favour of Finland, Sweden accepted

Upper Silesia

1921- plebiscite was held for industrial area over German/Polish border

LofN portioned it between them and they agreed

Vilna

1920-29

Poland took control in Vilna, Lithuania

Lithuania appealed to League and League asked Poland to leave

Poland refused and Britain and France refused to act against Poland