How successful was the League of Nations during the 1920s? Flashcards
Why was LoN founded and what were its main aims?
- founded as a response to the devastation of World War I
- Aims:
- prevent future wars
- enforce peace settlements
- promote international cooperation
When did LoN officially launch?
Officially launched on June 28, 1919
What was the main purpose of the league
To prevent future wars by providing a platform for settling international disputes peacefully
What article promoted disarmament?
Article 8
- Urging member states to reduce armaments to the minimum needed for national safety
What were the principles of the League?
- Collective security: members defend each other against aggression
- Disarmament: reduce weapons to prevent war
- Peaceful dispute resolution: through negotiation and arbitration
- Improving global welfare: tackle issues like disease, slavery, and refugees
- International cooperation: promote trade and diplomacy
How did the League address post war peace settlements?
Mainly two ways:
- Arranging Plebiscites
- Organising Mandates (Article 22)
What did the structure of the League look like?
- General Assembly
- The Council
- Permanent Court of International Justice
- The Secretariat
- Special Commissions and Committees
How did the General Assembly if the League function?
- Met once a year with all member countries
- Discussed and voted on key issues and policies
- Admitted new members and approved the budget
- Elected non-permanent members of the Council
- Decisions had to be unanimous
How did the Council of the LoN function?
- Met more often than the Assembly (usually 4–5 times a year).
- Dealt with crises and disputes between countries
- Had permanent and temporary members
- Could impose sanctions (economic or military threats)
- Decisions had to be unanimous
What did the The Secretariat of the League do?
- Handled day-to-day operations of the League
- Prepared reports and agendas for meetings
- Kept records and documents
- Organized communication between different parts of the League
- Worked like a civil service or administrative staff
What did the Permanent Court of International Justice do?
- Based in The Hague, Netherlands.
- Gave legal advice to the League and countries.
- Settled disputes between countries peacefully.
- Had judges from different countries.
- Could not enforce rulings – relied on countries to follow them.
what did the special commissions and committees of the League do?
- Tackled specific global issues like health, refugees, and slavery
- Monitored disarmament and worked on preventing the spread of disease
- Promoted international cooperation on social and economic matters
- Worked independently but reported to the League’s Assembly and Council
- Helped improve living conditions in many parts of the world
Examples of the special commissions and committees of the League
- Health Committee
- Refugees Committee
- Slavery Commission
- Mandates Commission
- Disarmament Committee
- International Labour Organization (ILO)
what were a few successes of the League?
- Settled disputes peacefully between small countries
- Helped refugees by providing aid and resettlement
- Health Committee fought major diseases
- Abolished slavery (Slavery Commission)
- Improved working conditions globally through ILO
What was the Aaland Islands dispute and the role played by the League in the resolution?
- Occurred in 1920 between Finland and Sweden over control of Åland Islands.
- Finland claimed the islands, but Sweden opposed the decision
- Decision made: The League ruled in favor of Finland, but the islands were demilitarized to ease Swedish concerns.
- Sweden accepted the decision, and the dispute was peacefully resolved
what was the League’s involvement in the resolution of disputes regarding Vilna?
- Vilna (1920): Dispute between Poland and Lithuania over control of the city.
- Vilna was claimed by both countries, but Poland took control.
- Lithuania appealed to the League, asking for intervention.
- The League condemned Poland’s actions but did not take military action.
- Poland ignored the League’s decision and maintained control of Vilna.
- The dispute was unresolved, highlighting the League’s weakness in enforcing decisions.
What were the role and impact of the agencies of the League?
- Health Committee: Tackled global health issues, reducing diseases like malaria and typhus
- Refugees Committee: Provided aid and resettlement for displaced people, such as after the Russian Civil War
- Slavery Commission: Helped to reduce and abolish slavery in various regions.
- International Labour Organization (ILO): Improved workers’ rights, setting international labor standards and promoting social justice.
What were the weaknesses of the League?
- Lacked enforcement power: could not force countries to obey decisions
- Limited membership and Absence of major powers: Only Britain, France, Italy, and Japan were members throughout the 1920s, USA never joined, and Germany and the USSR joined later
- Unanimous voting: required all members to agree, making decisions slow and difficult
- No military force: lacked a standing army to act on its decisions
- Economic sanctions were ineffective due to lack of support and enforcement
- Failed to prevent key events like the invasion of Manchuria (1931) and Abyssinia (1935).
