How successful was the League in the 1920s? Flashcards
What were the overall aims of the League?
1) Discourage Aggression – from any nation
2) Encourage Cooperation – between countries, especially in business and trade. This includes collective security, AKA Article 10. “The members of the League undertake to preserve against external aggression the territory and existing independence of all members of the League. In case of threat of danger the Council [of the league] shall advise upon the means by which this obligation shall be fulfilled.”
3) Encourage Disarmament – from all nations
4)Improve living Conditions – and working conditions in all parts of the world.
Did the LoN succeed in its aim of disarmament?
The LoN largely failed in its aim to -> disarmament.
Washington Conference in 1921: USA, Japan, Britain & France: they agreed to limit to size of navies but no great progress made after that. Washington Conf USA/Brit/Fra/Italy/Japan =>
1922 Washington Naval Agreement: ratio of capital ships: USA 5: Britain 5: Japan 3: Italy 1.75: France 1.75, no new capital ships for 10 years, Britain not to renew Japanese alliance (no-one to protect British interests in Far East- major set back for Britain? However Britain, USA and Japan all started building non capital ships eg cruisers
What was the impact of disarmament on Germany?
IMPACT ON GERMANY of the failure of LoN to disarm: Germany had been forced to disarm under the ToV BUT no other countries had had to do so to the same extent. Germany was still not permitted to join to LoN (until 1926). LoN countries were not prepared to give up their armies or be the first to disarm.
How serious was this failure by the late 1920s?
As a result of other international agreements, particularly the Locarno Treaties (1925) and the Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928), the world seemed much more peaceful (sometimes referred to as the “Locarno honeymoon”) and so the failure to disarm did not seem too serious
What were the Post ww1 aims about economic recovery?
Desire to build trade/ enter into trade deals
To build a stable economy
To avoid conflict/ excessive political tension, so that economies can thrive
What were the Post ww1 concerns about economic recovery?
Concern about employment eg returning soldiers & due to state of the economy
High levels of war debts in many countries
Impact of reparations/ loss of territory for countries subject to the Peace Treaties
What was the status of economic recovery in Europe by 1928?
Improvement
What factors had contributed to that recovery?
The Dawes Plan of 1924 was a major factor in European recovery. This was a plan to help Germany pay its reparations under ToV, based on US loans. It was arranged OUTSIDE the LoN. This plan also helped the economies of Britain & France.
What role did the League play in that recovery?
The League did encourage trading links between nations, which also diminished the risk of conflict BUT it was the non-League Dawes Plan (and later in 1929 the Young Plan) that played a greater role - led by the US.
What were the strengths of the League in the 1920s?
- Unanimous decisions: meant all the countries agreed limiting the risk of rebelling against it AND it add weight to any decision
Aaland Islands: - Corfu: LoN processes: the League processes were invoked (used) to try to resolve the dispute: an appeal was made by Greece to the League
- Corfu: Outcome: Mussolini WAS ordered to withdraw (and did withdraw)
- Bulgaria: Outcome: SUCCESS!!! (seen as a success for the LoN). Seemed to prove that the LoN mechanism worked as the great nations (France and Britain) were united in their decision making => collective security worked?
- Bulgaria: Processes: resolved relatively quickly - LoN observers go to assess the situation and conflict is averted; Greeks obeyed the LoN decision (£45,000 compensation paid to Bulgaria)
- Successes in terms of a better world: contagious diseases in refugee camps reduced eg cholera, ILO - significant successes eg limiting child labour; -
- Health Cttee - key success: fighting deadly diseases (became WHO), slavery: dramatic reductions in Sierra Leone
What were the failures of the League in the 1920s?
- Lack of available powers/ punishments in the event of an infringement/breach of its decisions, including no troops available
- Absence of important nations: USA, USSR (until 1934) and (until 1926) Germany
- Unanimity required in Assembly and Council: agreement could be difficult and/or slow
- Council only met on average about 4 or 5 times a year and Assembly only annually: limiting responsiveness of LoN
- Corfu: LoN processes: Mussolini sought to circumvent (go around/outside) the League processes by engaging the Conference of -
- Ambassadors (who had been established to oversee the Peace Treaties)
- Corfu: Outcome: Greece was required to pay compensation to Italy, which some saw as a capitulation (giving in) to an aggressive nation (Italy)
- Corfu & Bulgaria: Smaller nations: the Corfu & Bulgaria incidents suggested the League might not adequately protect smaller nations from more powerful ones (Greece(Corfu) & Bulgaria = smaller, Italy = larger), which was part of its key aims.
- Better world limitations: Refugees Cttee - short of funds eg)
- Disarmament: very limited
When was the World Disarmament Conference held?
1932-34
What were the successes of the World Disarmament Conference?
- Disarmament was considered a central issue and was taken seriously.
- Disarmament was one of Wilson’s fourteen points and a prominent feature of the Versailles settlement.
- Although the LoN largely failed to bring about disarmament, this can also be explained by a lack of a pressing need due to the gradual recovery of the major nations through the 1920s (up to 1929), e.g. the Dawes Plan of 1924 and Locarno Treaties 1925. The Washington Conference in 1921 represented some success in relation to limiting naval development.
What were the failures of the World Disarmament Conference?
- The 54 different states were all reluctant to trust each other.
France, Poland and Czecholovakia were worried about their future defensive security if Germany were to attack and they were reluctant to trust a system of collective security that already showed flaws. - France was willing to disarm if additional guarantees were provided by Britain and the US, which they both refused to give.
- Hitler had no intention of disarming and was able to exploit fears and claimed that France wasn’t serious about disarming and used this as an excuse to withdraw from the conference and then shortly afterwards left the League.
After Japan left because of the League’s attitude towards the Manchuria situation, it was clear that disarmament was not very achievable. - Only the defeated countries were required to disarm.
