Diplomacy: Evaluate the successes and failures of the League of Nations up to 1929. Flashcards
Intro
- The League of Nations aimed to maintain peace through collective security and encourage international cooperation to solve global issues and prevent future wars, but in the end, it failed to do this, as another world war came along in the late 1930s.
- Although it was more successful than not in the 1920s, the structural weaknesses that were exacerbated by international crises in the 1930s and eventually led to its downfall began to show in the 1920s.
Paragraphs
P1: Diplomatic and humanitarian successes
P2: Failed attempts to strengthen the machinery of the League
P3: Diplomatic failures (agreements outside the League highlight its failures and irrelevance to international relations)
Diplomatic & humanitarian successes- examples
- Aaland Islands dispute in 1920- these islands were populated mainly by Swedes, but, following the collapse of the Russian Empire, Finland had claimed sovereignty over them. This conflict was taken to the League and Sweden accepted the League’s decision to give the islands to Finland.
- The League was called on by the Red Cross to help the 1.5 million Russian refugees displaced by civil war in 1921 and Fridtjof Nansen was appointed by the League as ‘High Commissioner’ and provided refugees with provisional papers known as Nansen Passports (introduced in 1922), which were eventually recognized as official travel documents by 52 governments.
Diplomatic & humanitarian successes- explanations
-This demonstrated the League’s ability to act in an efficient manner. Sweden’s peaceful acceptance of the League’s decision also conveys the respect that countries had for the League in the 1920s.
This illustrates the League’s ability to aid people facing humanitarian crises- one of its aims.
Counterargument: central aim was to prevent another war
Failed attempts to strengthen machinery- examples
Two attempts were made (in 1923 and 24) to strengthen the machinery of the League (both were initiated by France):
-The Draft Treaty of Mutual Assistance would have required all members of the League to come to the assistance of a victim of aggression.
-The Geneva Protocol of 1924 would have made arbitration compulsory in all disputes.
Failed attempts to strengthen machinery- explanations
- Both of these initiatives were rejected by Britain and the Scandinavian powers as they believed that members would not be willing or able to carry out the huge commitment that would result from such a role.
- This meant that the League remained divided between the states that wanted a strong League to enforce the existing territorial agreements and those who wanted to be more selective in dealing with aggression.
- These differences were highlighted further by the Ruhr Crisis, which deeply undermined the principle of collective security.
Diplomatic failures- examples
Ruhr Crisis in January 1923- When Germany failed to make reparations payments, the French and Belgians took military action outside of the League and occupied the Ruhr in order to seize payments in goods.
Corfu 1923
Vilna 1920-23: Both Poland and Lithuania wanted control of the town of Vilna. The League was unable to prevent the Poles from seizing and retaining Vilna by force. Finally, the Conference of Ambassadors awarded Vilna to Poland.
Diplomatic failures- explanations
- This demonstrated how countries were not afraid to act outside of the League and take actions that it would condemn. They did not fear its discipline and therefore did not see it as having authority.
- The failure of the League to solve this diplomatic dispute undermined its credibility. This was exacerbated by the fact that the Conference of Ambassadors was the one to solve the dispute, thus damaging the League’s reputation as a decision-making power.
Diplomatic failures- historiography
The historian Ruth Henig believes that the organisation of the League was not what led to its failure, rather it was the international context which undermined it.
Contrast with others e.g. E.H Carr
