14:The New Diplomacy and the League of Nations

Question 1

the impact of WW1 on international order

Answer 1

• shattered myths of progress
  -struggle began to build a new world order and a new international society

Question 2

how did Wilson and Lenin contradict each other after the war?

Answer 2

-they offered rival programmes for the management of international relations

Question 3

1905 Russian Revolution

Answer 3

-forced Tsar Nicholas II to
grant major constitutional reforms including
an elected legislative assembly (the Duma)

Question 4

1917 Russian Revolutions

Answer 4

“February Revolution” secured the
abdication of Nicholas II on 15 March 1917
“October Revolution”: Lenin’s Bolshevik’s
seized power in November 1917

Question 5

Explain the Russian Civil war between 1918-1924

Answer 5

-it was fought between the Soviet “Red Army” and the counter revolutionary “Whites”
-is estimated to have claimed 8 million lives

Question 6

explain revolutionary defeatism

Answer 6

the idea that Russian
workers would benefit more from the defeat of the
Russian Tsarist regime in World War I than they
would by continuing to fight against Germany

Question 7

what was the priority for the Bolsheviks after November 1917, and how did they pursue this internationally?

Answer 7

-winning the civil war to preserve their revolution
- they published Allied Secret treaties in the belief that exposing the war aims of the capitalist, imperialist powers would facilitate world revolution

Question 8

what was the commuter?

Answer 8

it was established in 1919
it dedicated itself to promoting communist parties in Europe and North America and to supporting national liberation struggles in the colonial world

Question 9

give examples of the international institutions that existed before 1914

Answer 9

-the concert of europe
-series of Hague conferences
-international arbitration tribunals

Question 10

After the old concert system failed, what did campaign groups argue for?

Answer 10

a more formally structured international organisation

Question 11

what was Wilsonian New Diplomacy opposed to?

Answer 11

-The autocratic militarism of Germany and Austria
-The imperialism of the old European great powers
-Annexationist war aims
-Realpolitik and the rule of force
-Control of diplomacy by secretive, aristocratic elites
-Discriminatory economic policies

Question 12

what did Wilson set out in January 1918?

Answer 12

his 14 points as the foundation for peace

Question 13

What did liberal internaitionalism prioritise?

Answer 13

-The belief in a harmony of interests between the peoples of
the world
-The belief that an international authority was needed to
regulate international anarchy
-The belief that democracy and public control of foreign
policy made wars less likely

Question 14

what was the League of Nations council?

Answer 14

-The executive body of the league
-made up of varying numbers of permanent and non-permanent members
-an unanimous vote was required to pass resolutions

Question 15

main function of the LON council

Answer 15

the settlement of international disputes

Question 16

who were the permanent members of the League council?

Answer 16

France
Britain
Italy
Japan
Germany (1926-33)
Russia (1933-39)

Question 17

what was the League of Nations assembly?

Answer 17

-The deliberative and legislative forum of the
League
-Annual gathering of representatives of all
League members
-Each member state had one vote; a
unanimous vote was required to approve
Assembly resolution

Question 18

how many members of the league were there in 1920?

Answer 18

42

Question 19

what was the highest number of members at one time and when?

Answer 19

52
in 1934

Question 20

the permanent court of international justice

Answer 20

-established in The Hague in 1921
-established under Article 14 of the covenant
-evolved into the International Court of justice after WW2

Question 21

what was one of the reasons the international labour organisation was set up?

Answer 21

to prevent the spread of Bolshevism

Question 22

the international Labour organisation

Answer 22

-prevention of unemployment
-improvement of working conditions, hours and wages
-survived the collapse of the League and was reconstituted under the UN

Question 23

The Health Organisation

Answer 23

• an extension of previous international health committees
  -evolved into the WHO after 1945

Question 24

the role of the League’s special commission on Refugees and Minorities

Answer 24

-repatriation of displaced persons and prisoners of war
-post-war protection of minorities in newly created nation-states

Question 25

who were some of the groups protected by the League commission for minorities and refugees?

Answer 25

75’000 Rumanians in Yugoslavia
65’000 slavs in Rumania
Iraq’s jewish community chose not to claim minority rights when Iraq became independent in 1932

Question 26

How did League Mandates work?

Answer 26

-Former German and Ottoman colonies to be administered as Mandates by the victorious powers on behalf of the League
-expectation that the mandates would gain independence according to an assessment of their state development

Question 27

League action in 1921

Answer 27

-successful resolution of the Aaland Islands dispute
-Yugoslavia’s invasion of Albania
led to the League threatening
sanctions and brought about a
Yugoslav withdrawal

Question 28

League action in 1925

Answer 28

Greece’s invasion of Bulgaria
brought another strong League
response and a Greek withdrawal.
League observers were posted on the
frontier

Question 29

Why was collective security challenging for the League?

Answer 29

-no army
-no mechanism for imposing sanctions, was based on the goodwill/contributions of members
-undermined by non-membership and alliance blocs

Question 30

Reasons the League of nations failed

Answer 30

-flawed principles
-weak collective security provisions
-USA never joined
-Germany, Japan and Italy left
-USSR was expelled
-Resulted in a Eurocentric league that didn’t reflect global power balance
-lack of commitment by members