1.2 WEAKNESS OF LEAGUE OF NATIONS (Impact of WW1) Flashcards
REASONS FOR FORMATION OF LON
COMMITTED TO THE COLLECTIVE SECURITY OF THE WORLD TO ENSURE LASTING PEACE AND PREVENT ANOTHER WAR
1. COLLAPSE OF BALANCE OF POWER
- INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS BASED ON SYSTEM OF BALANCE OF POWER
- AFTER WW1
- EUROPE LEFT IN A STATE OF POLITICAL INSTABILITY
- BALANCE OF POWER COLLAPSED
- VARIOUS NATIONALIST MOVEMENTSW KEEN TO GAIN INDEPENDANCE
PRINCIPLE OF SELF-DETERMINATION ENTRENCHED IN TOV
2. PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE 1919
- ENSURING LASTING PEACE AND STABILITY
- WOODROW WILSON SOUGHT TO CREATE AN ASSOCIATION OF NATIONS THAT WOULD WORK TOWARDS MAINTAINING
POLITICAL INDEPENDANCE OF BIG AND SMALL STATES
AIMS OF LON
- COLLECTIVE SECURITY
- INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION WHOSE MAIN ROLE WAS TO MAINTAIN WORLD PEACE AND SECURITY
- ARTICLE 11 OF LEAGUE’S COVENANT STATED
“any threat of war or war is a matter of concern to the whole league and the league shall take action that may safeguard peace” - WORLD PEACE ACHIEVED THROUGH INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
- DIPLOMATICALLY SETTLE CONFLICTS
- DISARMAMENT
- WILSON HOPED THAT NATIONS ABLE TO SORT OUT THEIR DIFFERENCES IN A PEACEFUL MANNER THROUGH THE LEAGUE
- IMPLEMENT DISARMAMENT TO REDUCE COUNTRIES’S ABILITY TO WAGE WAR
PEACEKEEPING MEASURES OF LON
- MILITARY SANCTIONS
- LEAGUE COULD IMPOSE ARMS EMBARGO TO CUT OFF SUPPLIES OF ARMS TO OFFENDING NATIONS
- ARBITRATION
- LEAGUE COULD ACT AS A REFEREEE BY CALLING THE NATIONS INVOLVED IN A DISPUTE TO SETTLE DIFFERENCES
DIPLOMATICALLY
- LEAGUE COULD ACT AS A REFEREEE BY CALLING THE NATIONS INVOLVED IN A DISPUTE TO SETTLE DIFFERENCES
- MORAL PERSUASION
- MEMBERS OF LEAGUE WOULD PUBLICLY CONDEMN NATIONS DISRUPTING WORLD PEACE
- HOPED THAT THIS WOULD PERSUADE OFFENDING NATIONS TO STOP PROPOSED ACTION
- MEMBERS OF LEAGUE WOULD PUBLICLY CONDEMN NATIONS DISRUPTING WORLD PEACE
- ECONOMIC SANCTIONS
- ECONOMIC OR TRADE SANCTIONS PREVENTED THE EXCHANGE OF FOOD, GOODS AND SUPPLIES BETWEEN MEMBERS
OF LON AND THE OFFENDING NATION
- ECONOMIC OR TRADE SANCTIONS PREVENTED THE EXCHANGE OF FOOD, GOODS AND SUPPLIES BETWEEN MEMBERS
- DISARMEMENT
- LEAGUE ASSIGNED TO ORGANISE DISARMAMENT PLANS FOR MEMBERS FOR LON
REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF LON
STRUCTURAL WEAKNESS OF LON
1. ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
2. LACK OF AUTHORITY AND CREDIBILITY
3. LACK OF MILITARY FORCES
4. LIMITED MEMBERSHIP OF THE LEAGUE
ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE OF LON
AUTHORISATION FOR ANY ACTION REQUIRED BOTH A UNANIMOUS VOTE BY THE COUNCIL AND A 2/3 MAJORITY VOTE IN THE ASSEMBLY
- GAVE PERMANENT MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL VETO POWER
- MANY NATIONS REPRESENTED IN THE LEAGUES
- DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN UNANIMOUS VOTE
- COULD NOT COME TO A COMMON AGREEMENT THAT ALIGN WITH THEIR OWN INTERESTS
DIFFICULT TO TAKE DECISIVE AND SWIFT ACTION
LACK OF AUTHORITY AND CREDIBILITY
- LACK OF CONTROL OVER MEMBERS
- CONSTANT SHIFT OF MEMBER STATES
- LEFT LEAGUE DUE TO- LEAGUE DID NOT OFFER SUFFICIENT HELP TO THEIR AIMS AND INTERESTS
- OBJECTED TO LEAGUE’S AIMS
JAPAN 1933 GERMANY 1933 ITALY 1937
- SEEN AS LEAGUE OF VICTORIOUS NATIONS
- CLOSE ASSOCIATION WITH TOV
- OF 40+ NATIONS THAT JOINED THE LEAGUE 31 TAKEN PART IN THE WAR ON SIDE OF THE ALLIES
- INEFFECTIVE PEACEKEEPING MEASURES
MORAL PERSUASION:
- ineffective against strong offending nation, ignored criticisms and condemnations
MILITARY SANCTIONS:
- league did not have an army to enforce measures league members unwilling to get involved militarily
ECONOMIC SANCTIONS:
- league did not want economy to be affected especially after 1929 great depression and WW1
LACK OF MILITARY FORCES
- DID NOT HAVE INDEPENDANT MILITARY FORCE FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPING
- LEAGUE POWERLESS TO ENFORCE PEACEKEEPING MEASURES AGAINST STRONGER NATIONS
- JAPAN ITALY GERMANY FRANCE
LIMITED MEMBERSHIP OF THE LEAGUE
- LIMITED REPRESENTATION OF NATIONS
- US STRONGEST COUNTRY, LARGEST NATIONAL ECONOMY, STATUS AS MILITARY POWER
- NOT IN LON DUE TO UNWILLINGNESS TO ENGAGE IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS DUE TO NON-INTERVENTIONIST POLICY
- RUSSIA AND GERMANY NOT ALLOWED TO JOIN INITIALLY
- LON LACKED MAJOR WORLD POWERS TO EFFECTIVELY ENFORCE SANCTIONS
- LON PREDOMINANTLY EUROPEAN
- ORGANISATION MEANT FOR EUROPEANS MAINLY RUN BY EUROPEANS
- SEEN AS A WHITE ORGANISATION WHO FAVOURED COLONIALISM
- NOT SUPPORTED BY AFRICAN AND ASIAN NATIONS
SUCCESSES OF LON
1921 Aaland Island Dispute
- resolved dispute between Sweden and Finland diplomatically over the islands, given to Finland
1920 Albania
- successfully made Yugoslavia withdraw from Albania when it tried to take over Albania
FAILURE OF LON
1923 Ruhr
- Germany unable to repay reparation
- France retaliated by invading industrial are of Ruhr, confiscated coal and other goods
- League could not stop France
1931 - 1933 Failure over Manchuria
- Japan invades China
- Japan ignores and leaves league in 1933
- little league could do, unable to enforce measures
- Japan powerful nation determined on conquest and ignoring LON
1935 - 1936 Failure over Abyssinia
- Italy invaded Abyssinia in 1935
- league imposed sanctions on Italy, ineffective
- Abyssinia seized by Italy and resigned from league in 1937
