CORE 2: To what extent was the League of Nations a success?

Question 1

What was the League of Nations?

Answer 1

A broad-based international organisation that would meet to solve disputes and crises along with a wide range of international problems.

Question 2

When was the first meeting of the League of Nations?

Answer 2

• First Council in January 1920 just after the Treaty of Versailles came into force.
• First Assembly in November 1920 when the headquarters moved from London to Geneva.”

Question 3

What was the Covenant of the League of Nations?

Answer 3

The constitution or charter which set out the structure, rules, procedures and functions of the league in 26 articles.

Question 4

What were the main aims of the League of Nations?

Answer 4

• World peace
• Economic cooperation
• Social development
• Disarmament”

Question 5

What were the key organs of the League of Nations?

Answer 5

• Council: executive body
• Assembly: main body
• Secretariat: civil service”

Question 6

What was the membership of the League’s Council?

Answer 6

Four permanent members (Britain, France, Italy and Japan in 1920) and four (increased to 11 in 1936) non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly every three years.
Germany became a fifth permanent member in 1926 and the USSR in 1934. Japan and Germany left in 1933, Italy in 1937 and the USSR in 1939.

Question 7

How often did the Assembly and the Council meet?

Answer 7

• Assembly: once a year
• Council: 4-5 times a year and in times of crisis

Question 8

What was the function of the League’s Assembly?

Answer 8

• The meeting place of all members who each had one vote.
• Considered matters of general policy and could recommend action to the council.
• Controlled the League’s budget.
• Admitted new members.
• Elected non-permanent members of the Council.
• Elected judges to the Permanent Court of International Justice

Question 9

What was the function of the League’s Secretariat?

Answer 9

As the civil service of the League it performed all the administrative and financial work; organising conferences, distributing agendas, monitoring budgets, publishing reports etc

Question 10

What was the unanimity rule?

Answer 10

Decisions by the Assembly and Council has to be unanimous (not involving countries in the dispute)

Question 11

What was the function and membership of the Permanent Court of International Justice?

Answer 11

• The court could hear and rule on disputes submitted to it by countries.
• Provide legal advice to the Council.
• Based in the Hague.
• Made up of 11 judges and 4 deputy judges elected for 9 years by the Council and Assembly.

Question 12

What was the function and membership of the International Labour Organisation?

Answer 12

Promoted good working practices such as working hours, women’s rights, child labour, employer’s liability etc. Based in Geneva it included representatives of government, employees and workers.

Question 13

What commissions were set up by the League and what did they do? (8 examples)

Answer 13

• Mandates Commission: supervised administration of Germany and Turkey’s former colonies by victorious countries.
• Saar Basin Commission: controlled Saar and organised plebiscite.
• Danzig Commission: controlled the former German port.
• Disarmament Commission: encourage disarmament and organise conferences.
• Reparations Commission: assessed and set reparations payments from defeated nations.
• Refugees Commission: resettled displaced populations.
• Minorities Commission: Improve treatment of racial minorities.
• Slavery Commission: abolish slavery

Question 14

What committees were set up by the League and what did they do? (8 examples)

Answer 14

• Committee for the Study of the Legal Status of Women: equal rights
• Child Welfare Committee:
• Committee on the Traffic in Women and Children:
• Drug Trafficking Committee: stop drugs trade (esp opium)
• Health Committee: sub-commissions on cancer, smallpox, plague, malaria, syphilis, TB, leprosy, vaccination etc (became WHO)
• Committee on Intellectual Cooperation: intellectual rights, universities, arts, science (precursor of UNESCO)
• Advisory and Technical Committee: tech support for road, rail, water transport, ports and electricity
• Economic and Finance Committee: economic development.

Question 15

Which major countries were not founding members of the League of Nations?

Answer 15

• USA: The American Senate did not ratify the Treaty of Versailles and refused to join the League.
• Germany: not allowed to join until it demonstrated it’s peaceful intentions (1926).
• USSR: not invited to join because it was communist and didn’t want to join because Britain France and Japan were supporting the the anti-communist whites in the Russian Civil War (1918-21)

Question 16

Why were Britain and France weak leaders in the League of Nations?

Answer 16

Both weakened by WWI. Britain was more concerned with maintaining its empire. France was more concerned with security against Germany.

Question 17

What was ‘collective security’?

Answer 17

The League’s method to maintain peace by all nations acting together against an aggressor.
1) Moral disapproval: vote to condemn aggressive action.
2) Economic sanctions: refusing to trade or credit.
3) Military sanctions: send an army to help the victim (but the league had no army of its own)

Question 18

Which city with a largely Polish population did the Polish army invade in 1920?

Answer 18

Vilna, the capital of the newly created state of Lithuania.

Question 19

What did the League of Nations do about the invasion of Vilna in 1920?

Answer 19

Asked Polish troops to withdraw while a plebiscite was arranged but Poland refused. The Conference of Ambassadors then awarded Vilna to Poland.

Question 20

What was the Conference of Ambassadors?

Answer 20

A group of senior diplomats representing the allied powers who oversaw problems with the peace settlement.

Question 21

Which territory did Finland and Sweden have a dispute over in 1921?

Answer 21

Aaland Islands in the Baltic Sea

Question 22

What did the League decide about the Aaland island dispute?

Answer 22

They awarded the islands to Finland and ruled they should be demilitarised even though most islanders wished to be ruled by Sweden. Sweden accepted the judgement.

Question 23

Which two countries were involved in the Upper Silesia dispute in 1921?

Answer 23

Germany and Poland

Question 24

How did the League resolve the Upper Silesia dispute?

Answer 24

The valuable industrial area was originally granted Poland in the draft Treaty of Versailles but Germany protested so a plebiscite was held. The overall results of the vote went to Germany but in some rural parts there was a clear majority for Poland. Following riots and protests the League suggested a partition which was accepted by both sides. Eastern Upper Silesia went to Poland and Western Upper Silesia went to Germany.

Question 25

What happened when Germany defaulted on its reparation’s payment in 1922?

Answer 25

It was not referred to the League. France and Belgium invaded the Ruhr in 1923.

Question 26

What was the Corfu incident of 1923?

Answer 26

Italian General Tellini and some of his staff were murdered whilst patrolling part of the border frontier between Greece and Albania. Mussolini demanded Greece pay 50 million lira in compensation and executed the murderers. Greece couldn’t find them so Mussolini ordered the naval bombardment and occupation of the Greek island of Corfu.

Question 27

What did the League do about the invasion of Corfu?

Answer 27

The League condemned the invasion of the Greek island by Italy but Mussolini insisted the Conference of Ambassadors should decide. They ordered Greece to pay compensation and Italy to withdraw its troops.

Question 28

What efforts to strengthen the League of Nations were rejected by Britain in the 1920s?

Answer 28

• Draft Treaty of Mutual Assistance (1923), which would have bound all member states to assist a victim of aggression.
• The Geneva Protocol (1924), which would have made arbitration of disputes by the Permanent Court of International Justice compulsory and backed up by the economic and military power of all members.

Question 29

What did the League decide about Mosul in 1924?

Answer 29

Turkey claimed the Kurdish populated province of Mosul which was part of the British mandated territory of Iraq. The league investigated and decided it should stay part of Iraq. Turkey accepted the judgement.

Question 30

What was the War of the Stray Dog?

Answer 30

The Greek–Bulgarian crisis of 1925. A Greek soldier was killed by Bulgarian sentries chasing his dog across the border OR a Greek captain and sentry were killed by Bulgarian soldiers who crossed the border. Bulgaria expressed regret over a misunderstanding and suggested a joint investigation. Greece invaded the border town demanding an official apology, punishment and compensation.

Question 31

What did the League decide in the Greek-Bulgaria crisis of 1925?

Answer 31

The League ordered a ceasefire, Greek troops to withdraw from Bulgaria and Greece to pay £45,000 to Bulgaria. Greece accepted but felt it was unfair that Italy (a Council member) was treated differently in the similar Corfu incident.

Question 32

Which countries did France make mutual assistance pacts with during the 1920s?

Answer 32

Poland, Czechoslovakia and Belgium

Question 33

What was the Locarno Treaty (1925)?

Answer 33

France, Belgium and Germany (backed up by Britain and Italy) guaranteed their mutual borders in western Europe.

Question 34

What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)?

Answer 34

An international agreement renouncing the use of war and calling for the peaceful settlement of disputes sponsored by France and the USA and signed by 56 Countries when it came into effect in 1929.

Question 35

How many prisoners of war and refugees did the League’s Refugee Organisation help to repatriate between 1920 and 1922?

Answer 35

425,000 from Russian, German and French POW camps. In addition more than a million Greeks were made homeless during the Turkish War of Independence (1919-1923)

Question 36

Who led the League’s Refugee Organisation?

Answer 36

Norwegian scientist and explorer Fridtjof Nansen alongside the Red Cross. With a limited budget they organised, transport, camps, new settlements, ID papers and education for refugees.

Question 37

What were the successes of the League’s Health Organisation?

Answer 37

• It provided information, tech support and public health advice to the world including non-members (USA, Germany, Soviet Russia)
• Helped prevent a typhus epidemic in Siberia
• Reduced cases of leprosy
• Began an international campaign to exterminate mosquitoes to fight malaria and yellow fever
• Set up research institutions in London, Copenhagen and Singapore
• Developed vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus and tuberculosis
• Became the WHO in the UN after the demise of the League

Question 38

Which countries did the League’s Economic and Financial Organisation support with loans and currency stabilisation?

Answer 38

Austria, Hungary, Greece and Bulgaria

Question 39

What recommendations on improving working conditions were made by the International Labour Organisation?

Answer 39

• 8hr working day
• 48hr working week
• annual paid holidays
• sick pay
• unemployment benefit
• pensions
• right to join unions
• minimum employment age of 15
• removal of lead from print manufacturing

Question 40

How successful were the recommendations of the International Labour Organisation in improving working conditions?

Answer 40

Mixed: the published recommendations were ignored by many countries (Britain didn’t raise the school leaving age to 15 until after WWII and some US companies banned union membership into the 1930s); BUT it set a new benchmark that became increasingly difficult for countries to ignore.

Question 41

How many slaves were freed in Sierra Leone after action by the League’s Slavery Commission?

Answer 41

200,000

Question 42

How successful was the Slavery Commission in ending slavery?

Answer 42

Reports and pressuring of governments led to Iraq, Jordan and Nepal to abolish slavery BUT slave trading and people trafficking continued

Question 43

What was the Washington Naval Conference of 1921?

Answer 43

A conference organised outside the League of Nations and led by the US to discuss naval disarmament in the context of growing US-Japanese rivalry in the Pacific. The USA, Britain, France and Japan agreed to limit their navies voluntarily during the 1920s

Question 44

What impact did the Great Depression have on the League of Nations?

Answer 44

• Members did not want to further reduce trade by imposing economic sanctions
• Governments cut military expenditure and members lacked military deterrents
• Countries felt pressure to find new markets and resources through taking territories by force
• Unemployment increased support for extremist parties

Question 45

Did the League have any successes in the 1930s?

Answer 45

• The agencies, committees and commissions continued their good work
• Saar plebiscite organised in 1935
• Resolved border dispute between Bolivia and Paraguay over the Chaco
• Resolved border dispute between Peru and Colombia over Lecticia

Question 46

What were the key events that the League failed to resolve in the 1930s?

Answer 46

1) Japanese invasion of Manchuria
2) Failure of the World Disarmament Conference
3) Italian invasion of Abyssinia

Question 47

When did 4 permanent members of the Council leave the League?

Answer 47

• Japan following the invasion of Manchuria in 1933
• Germany following a Nazi referendum in 1933
• Italy following the invasion of Abyssinia in 1937
• USSR was expelled following the invasion of Finland in 1939

Question 48

What was the Mukden Incident?

Answer 48

Since 1905 Japan had control of Korea and trading rights in the Chinese province of Manchuria, including the South Manchurian Railway. In September 1931 Japanese soldiers staged an attack on the railway line and used this as an excuse to invade the resource rich Manchuria.

Question 49

What did Japan rename Manchuria in 1932?

Answer 49

Manchukuo

Question 50

Why did the League fail to impose economic or military sanctions on Japan after its invasion of Manchuria in 1931?

Answer 50

• European powers didn’t want to reduce their trade with the Far East when the USA could still trade
• It was a long way for European powers to send a naval task force
• Sanctions could provoke an attack on British and French (Hong Kong, Singapore)
• Closer USA and USSR were not members of the League

Question 51

Who led the League’s investigation of the Manchuria Crisis?

Answer 51

Lord Lytton

Question 52

What was the Lytton Commission?

Answer 52

The League sent Lord Lytton to Manchuria to investigate the Japanese invasion. He arrived in April 1932 (over six months after the Mukden Incident) and found the invasion was not justified.
The Lytton Report was accepted by the Assembly in February 1933 (18 months after the invasion) and Japan was told to leave Manchuria.

Question 53

What was Japan’s response to the Manchuria ruling by the League of Nations?

Answer 53

Japan quit the League in 1933, kept Manchuria/Manchukuo and invaded the rest of China in 1937.

Question 54

When was the World Disarmament Conference finally held?

Answer 54

1932-4

Question 55

Why did the World Disarmament Conference fail?

Answer 55

In a climate of fear and anxiety states were unwilling to trust one another:
- France, Poland and Czechoslovakia were worried about Germany
- Britain and the USA were unwilling to provide guarantees to France
- Japan left the League after invading Manchuria and rearmed
- Hitler claimed France was not serious about disarmament and left the Conference, the League and began to rearm openly from 1935

Question 56

Why did Mussolini want to invade Abyssinia?

Answer 56

• Revenge for the humiliating defeat of the Italian army at Adowa in northern Abyssinia in 1896
• Make up for missing out on German and Turkish colonies in peace treaties
• Distraction from the economic problems and unemployment in Italy
• Located between existing Italian colonies of Eritrea and Somaliland
• Limited resistance from outdated Abyssinian army against modern Italian tanks, planes and poison gas

Question 57

What was the Wal Wal incident?

Answer 57

In December 1934 there was a skirmish at the Wal Wal Oasis near the border between Ethiopian and Italian forces with approximately 150 deaths. Mussolini mobilized 250,000 men and modern weapons in Eritrea and Somaliland to lead a two-pronged invasion of Ethiopia in October 1935. There was no declaration of war.

Question 58

How did the League of Nations respond to Italy’s invasion of Abyssinia in 1935?

Answer 58

The League condemned Italy’s actions and imposed some economic sanctions which were lifted in 1936 after Italy captured the capital Addis Ababa.

Question 59

What resources were not the subject of economic sanctions against Italy over the invasion of Abyssinia?

Answer 59

Oil and coal (Plus all US exports to Italy which increased)

Question 60

Which British controlled waterway continued to be open to Italian ships in 1935-36?

Answer 60

The Suez Canal for fear that Italy would attack the British colonies of Gibraltar and Malta

Question 61

Why were Britain and France reluctant to punish Italy over Abyssinia?

Answer 61

They wanted to keep Mussolini as an ally against Hitler who marched troops into the Rhineland in 1936

Question 62

What secret deal was proposed by Britain and France in 1935 to end the Second Italo-Abyssinian War?

Answer 62

The Hoare-Laval Pact; Italy could control 2/3 of Ethiopia if it ended the war. Mussolini indicated that he would agree but the deal was leaked to the media and abandoned after public outcry and criticism of France and Britain.