The League of Nations, 1919

• Creation in 1919, in Geneva:

  • A new era of IR

  • The ambition of the league (or also failure):

    • Big hope in relations in early 1900s was that with IR and IO we could preserve peace and prevent new wars

    • the League of Nations “LN”, was a major cosmopolitan success.

    • One of the core functions of LN was disarmament (without arms⇒less wars and conflict)

    • Moved towards self-determination

    • It also gave voice to smaller countries

    • Refugees ⇒ Mandate to improve the situation of refugees within the participating countries|

  • Context: effects of WWI:

    • The idea of the creation of the LN was to prevent further war (trauma of WWI)

    • But also to help balance power after the war|

  • Main drivers:

    • Woodrow Wilson, 14 points plan (the US refused to participate afterward because the senate and parliament refused to ratify)

      • The US was seen as the country from the other side of the Atlantic, which created some sort of distance (Monroe doctrine to not intervene in European conflicts and vice versa)

    • Civil society and individuals

    • The concrete realization was made by Great Britain, France, and Italy|

  • the covenant of the LN was adopted on 29 April 1919:

    • On 10 January of 1920, it was the real start of the LN|

• The covenant:

  • Rather short: 26 articles only (UN charter: 111 articles)

  • Purpose:

    • *To promote international co-operation and to achieve international peace and security (*see preamble and articles 8-17)

  • Instruments for maintaining peace and security:

    • Disarmament (Art. 8)

    • Peaceful resolution of disputes (Art, 12-17)

    • Conflict prevention (Art. 16, 17, 18, 20)

  • Problem: no comprehensive prohibition of the use of force in International politics (this lead to the decline of the organization) |

Principal organs of the League

• The assembly:

  • All members of the LN are represented: by the plenary organ.

  • “The assembly may deal at its meetings with any matter within the sphere of action of the League or affecting peace in the World” (Art. 3)

  • It meets “at stated intervals and from time to time, as occasion may require” (Art. 3).

  • Decision making: mostly by unanimity|

• The council:

  • The executive organ of the LN (Art, 4)

  • Meets at least once a year (or for special occasions)

  • Six permanent members: GB, France, Italy (until 1937), Japan (until 1933), Germany (1926-33), And the SU (1934-39)

  • Four non-permanent members: elected by the assembly “from time to time in its discretion”

    • However, it does not show the diversity of league (ex: Brazil that wanted to have a sit)

  • “Any member (…) represented in the council shall be invited to sit as a member during the consideration of matters specifically affecting the interests of that member of the League”

  • “*The Council may deal at its meetings with any matter within the sphere of action of the league or affecting peace in the world”(*Art. 4)

  • Decision-making by unanimity (unless otherwise expressively provided in the Covenant: Procedural decisions (Art.5) and the adoption of a report on an international dispute(Art. 15.4))

  • Forum: Council as a meeting place.

    • Discussion and production of reports.

    • Conflict resolution done by member states|

• Permanent Secretariat:

  • Secretary General: appointed by the Council with the approval of the majority of the Assembly

  • Several departments: finances, disarmament, mandates territories, etc…

  • Main task: support work of the Assembly and Council

  • Secretary generals of the League:

    • United Kingdom: Sir Eric Drummond (1920-33)

    • France: Joseph Avenol (1933-40)

    • Ireland: Sean Lester (1940-46)|

• Permanent Court of Justice:

  • The court existed since 1921 when its statute entered into force.

  • Seating the Hague, it had 9 judges

  • Dealt with 30 cases until 1940 (German occupation)

• We can still see today the influence of the LN in international organizations (especially in refugees status)|