5) The collapse of the League Flashcards
WSC, Manchuria, Abyssinia
Wall Street crash
1929
Value of stocks plummeted in America and they had to recall loans
Why was there an increase in extremist voting and dictator support during the Great Depression? (3)
1) The govt runs everything in a dictatorship so the unemployed would be taken care of
2) Extremists promised to take land by force to get more resources for their people
3) They used promises of victories overseas to restore national pride (e.g. Abyssinia crisis)
How did the GD affect the League?
Hitler and Mussolini were aggressive extremists were weren’t interested in collective security and didn’t care about moral condemnation
Countries didn’t want the expense of supplying an army during the GD
Countries weren’t willing to impose economic sanctions as ceasing trade would affect their own economy
The Disarmament Conference
1932-34
Hitler withdrew in 1934
Problem with the league: Germany could just withdraw if it didn’t want to comply
When was the Mukden incident?
18 September 1931
Outline the events of the Mukden incident.
Mukden incident:
September 1931: Explosion on the south Manchurian railway. The Japanese claimed that the attack was from the Chinese. The Chinese denied this, saying that their soldiers were asleep
The Kwantung army used this as an excuse to take Manchuria
Why did Japan invade Manchuria?
-Resources (e.g. timber, coal, iron ore)
-Japan’s economy was weak as it depended on silk that no one as buying due to the GD
-Increasing population
What did Japan rename Manchuria?
Manchukuo
Manchuria size
200,000km²
Why was the League reluctant to react to the MC?
-Did not want war (GD)
-Far away from the LoN’s HQ in Geneva
-Japan was a powerful member of the League
What did the League do to oppose the MC?
Issued a moral condemnation which was ignored by the Japanese
Why didn’t the league impose economic sanctions on Japan?
GD
Japan’s main trading partner was America who wasn’t in the League.
When did China ask for help?
March 1932
The Lytton report
October 1932
Took a year just to say that Japan was wrong in invading Manchuria
Why did Mussolini want Abyssinia? (4)
-He was a Fascist dictator who promised to rebuild the Roman Empire
-He thought it would be easy as he had neighbouring countries Eritrea and Italian Somaliland
-Rich in resources such as grazing lands
-Revenge for 1896 defeat at Wal Wal
Why was Mussolini confident in invading Abyssinia?
He had seen the League fail to respond to the Corfu and Manchurian Crises
Abyssinia Crisis date
October 1935
The Stresa Front
How did it make Mussolini more confident?
1935
Signed by: Britain, France and Italy
Agreed that they would unite against Hitler
M knew that Britain and France wouldn’t want to risk their new agreement by provoking him- the threat of Hitler was too large
Describe the Wal Wal incident
December 1934:
Italian and Abyssinian troops clashed at the Wal Wal oasis in a disputed border between Abyssinia and Somaliland
Wal Wal incident casualties
150 Abyssinians
2 Italians
How did the LoN respond to Abyssinia’s appeal for assistance?
Issued a moral condemnation and imposed economic sanctions
Why did sanctioning Italy fail? Abyssinian Crisis
The sanctions did not include steel, coal or oil so Mussolini could still supply his invasion
Italy could trade with the USA
Trade sanctions against Abyssinia
The League banned members from selling arms to Abyssinia, leaving them defenceless against Italy’s modern chemical weapons
What was the Hoare-Laval Pact?
December 1935
A plan between Britain and France to give areas of Abyssinia to Italy to appease Mussolini
What did the Hoare-Laval Pact show?
That Britain and France were willing to undermine the League for their own self interests
How did Britain and France appease Italy? (3)
-Failure to close the Suez Canal
-Stresa Front
-Hoare-Laval Pact
Italy leaves the League
1937
Weaknesses in League structure
-No army
-Assembly needed a unanimous vote to reach a decision and there were 58 members by 1934
-Absence of USA
