League of Nations Flashcards
Which committee was most effective?
Health Committee
When does League authority decline?
1930
What did the League do to encourage cooperation?
70% success
Assembled the League
Got many (42) countries to join
Increased relationships between countries
Increased trade between countries
International Highway code
_____________________________
Could not get America to join
Stopped Germany &USSR from joining
What suggestions were proposed in the Disarmament Conference in 1932?
What happened to them?
Prohibit bombing of civilians
Ban chemical warfare
Limit size of artillery and tonnage of tanks
FAILURES
What suggestions were proposed in the Disarmament Conference in 1932?
What happened to them?
Prohibit bombing of civilians
Ban chemical warfare
Limit size of artillery and tonnage of tanks
FAILURES
What were the effects of the Great Depression on :
USA
Japan
Britain
Germany
Italy
USA and BRITAIN: Self-centered and not wanting to help fix disputes to protect own economy.
JAPAN: Threatened to be bankrupt on main export - silk to USA.
Japanese leaders were army leaders so they invaded Manchuria to get more raw material to sustain economy.
GERMANY: was hit very badly. Unemployment, poverty and chaos. Leaders could do nothing. Hitler was elected. Planned to invade neighbours and win back land.
ITALY: economic problems encouraged Mussolini to build oversea empire to distract his people.
Name some of Woodrow Wilson’s ‘Fourteen Points’
“Even God has only ten commandements” - Georges Clemenceau
The league of Nations to be set up
No secret treaties
Free trade
Everybody works towards disarmament
Colonies have a say in own future
German troops leave Russia
Independence to Belgium
France regains Alsace-Lorraine
Self-determination for eastern Europe
Serbia to have access to the sea
Self determination for people of Turkish Empire
Poland to become independent + access to sea
What were the positives about the League of Nations?
Humanitarian agencies helped sick and poor
Financial agencies helped stabilise economics
League handled 66 major international disputes, at 50% success rate
Which 2 countries were banned from joining the League of nations?
Germany
USSR
Name 3 successes from the League of Nations
Germany and Poland tensions for land, split 2:1, war avoided
Finland and Sweden tensions over Åland islands. Compromise reached and islands go to Finland
Greece invaded Bulgaria, League asked them to stop and pushed Greece out
Stopped slavery and drugs
Helped to repatriate prisoners
65 countries agreed to the Kellog-Briand pact, not using violence to solve disputes
When did Germany enter and leave the League of Nations?
1926
1933
Describe the workings of the League
The Assembly
The Council
The Permanent Court of International Justice
The Secretariat
The international Labour Org
The League of nations commissions:
- The mandates commission
- The refugees committee
- The slavery committee
- The Health committee
Describe the Upper Silesia dispute
1921
Germany wins plebiscite 2:1
Poland people riot
Peacefully split to be shared by both
Describe the Åland islands dispute
1921
Islands = valuable military bases
Both Sweden and Finland want them. They ask the League to decide.
Majority of population is Swedish
Islands go to Finland but demilitarised
Sweden accepts. Islands’s inhabitants are disappointed.
What is a plebiscite?
Vote among a population to see about important public question (like a change of country)
Name some failures on behalf of League of Nations
- Japan invades Manchuria 1931
- Italy invades Abyssinia 1935
- Poland takes land from Lithuania
- Italy invades Corfu, Greece 1923 (Mussolini’s deed)
- Extremely slow disarmament
- Invasion of Fiume 1919
- Invasion of Vilna 1920
- Invasion of Memel 1923
What were the negatives of the League of nations?
Unsuccessful in stopping large disputes :
- Italy invades Abyssinia 1935
- Japan invades Manchuria 1931
Disarmament did ont completely work
Too idealistic
Describe the economic Great Depression
Mainly caused by Wall Street crash
- In America, banks, who had stocks, lost a lot of money, forcing other countries to pay loans owned back to America.
- Affected economy everywhere, catastrophic loss of jobs
Name 4 reasons why America didn’t join the League of Nations
Eating Children Tastes Slimy
Empire - feared to be absorbed by GB or France
Casualty - while enforcing other disputes
Treaties - hated treaty of Versailles
Sanctions - did not want hindered trade
What effect did the Great Depression have on League?
Internationalist spirit replaced by nationalist approach, making League lose its authority
Describe the invasion of Vilna (Lithuania)
1920
Given to Lithuania by Treaty
Poland seized it by military force
League did nothing, because France wanted to keep Poland as ally.
Resume invasion of Fiume
1919
Between Yugoslavia and Italy
‘Free City’
League did nothing
Fiume was bombed, annexed 5 years later
Describe the dispute between Greece and Bulgaria
1925 (same time as Locarno treaty of disarmament)
- ‘War of the stray dog’ because soldier crossed border to retrieve dog and was shot by bulgarians
- Greek troops invaded Bulgaria
- Bulgaria appealed to League for help
- Swift response- investigation
- Greece pushed out of Bulgaria, forced to pay 45,000 or get sanctioned.
- great effectiveness
What did the League do improve the world?
TANGANYIKA WORKERS death rate, from 50% to 4%
REFUGEES:
- returned 40000 prisonners of war
- takes many in for turkish crisis 1922
WORKING CONDITIONS:
-> Suggestions of :
- limit 48h work per week
- limit working hours of children
- ban poisonous white lead
HEALTH:
- Prevented plague in Siberia
- Stopped leprosy
- reduced and fought malaria
OTHER:
- International highway code
- stopped many drug trades
- Better trade routes
Aims of the league?
Collective Security
Military discouragement
Increase living conditions
co-operation and trade
Strengths of the League?
42 countries
recognised link between political instability and social distress & vice versa
Alliances => collective security
Clearly defined organisation and covenant
Potential to impose economic sanctions
What was the Geneva Protocol?
1924
Need protocol to stop League to be undermined by its own members
Only 2 members in a dispute would have to turn to the League and obey its choice
New government in Britain, which refused because want to ‘preserve own interest’
FAILURE!!!!
Describe to dispute about Corfu
1923
Italian general and team ambushed on Greek border
Italy (Led by Mussolini) blames Greece, occupies Corfu
League acts swiftly . Greece should pay League. They pay to Italy when culprit found.
Mussolini threatens to leave League, insists. Gets money transferred directly to Italy without trial.
French were busy in Ruhr, British did not stand up alone.
Why did the 1932-34 Disarmament Conference fail?
Some reasons include :
- Conflicting opinions
- Nobody wanted to disarm
- Distrust , e.g. towards communism.
- Hitler rearming and Germany’s shenanigans
As everybody started to rearm, conference became futile and ended.
What was the Dawes plan?
1924
Plan to rebuild Germany’s economic chaos + get french and brit economies moving again
What was the covenant of the League?
ACDC
A - Discourage AGGRESSION
C - Encourage CO-OPERATION
D- pursue DISARMAMENT
C- Improve living CONDITIONS
Describe the dispute in Memel
1923
‘Free city’, seized by Lithuania
Poland is outraged
League gives land around Memel to Lithuania, on condition it remains international zone.
gave impression of League giving in to force.
What did the League do to improve living conditions?
90% Success
Improved working conditions from 50% to 4% at Tanganyika Railway
Got rid of leprosy and successfully fought malaria
Stopped slavery and reduced drug use
Created trade routes and highway code
Dawes plan increased cooperation between Germany, France and GB 1924
___________________________
Some organisations, like the ILO, were powerless if a country refused its suggestion
Describe the Japanese invasion of Mandchuria
EMPTY
Describe the Italian invasion of Abyssinia
EMPTY
What were Japanese excuses/motives for invading Manchuria. Are these valid?
Railway sabotaged
China in state of anarchy
___________________________
To get more resources and goods
To raise economy
How did the League react to the Manchurian crisis?
Moral condemnation
Nothing else
What were the Leagues motives for not solving Manchurian conflit?
Japan is too far away
A special case
too powerful
Having a point about anarchy in China
Why does Mussolini invade Abyssinia?
Italy lost conflit against Abyssinia in 1896 - was humiliated and seeks revenge
Opportunity to distract Italians from the Great Depression
Get fertile land and mineral resources
fuel Mussolini’s own glory
What was the Stresa pact and how does it relate with invasion in Abyssinia?
1935 - Stresa is a small town in Italy, btw
Signed a little befor einvasion of Ethiopia (called Abyssinia at the time)
Britain and France may have turned a blind eye on Mussolini’s doings
in order to sign Stresa pact in hopes to stay united with Italy and stop German rearmament
(but FYI that coalition soon dissolved and Mussolini turned to Hitler instead)
How did Italy show its disregard for the League in the invasion of Abyssinia?
Chemical warfare
Bombing of Red Cross
In 1935, What sanctions does League impose on Italy after an 8 month investigation?
Bans
- loans
-arms
- import
- export of rubber and metals
BUT NOT OIL
What could Britain have done to (maybe) stop invasion of Abyssinia?
Closing Suez Canal
(but Britain was afraid to start a war)
What was the Hoare-Laval pact?
1935 - named after the foreign ministers of GB and France
Secret plan to appease Mussolini by giving away 2/3 of Abyssinia to Italy - in exchange of stopping invasion.
Plan Leaked. Widespread denunciation.
Sanctions discussions lost momentum
When are oil sanctions imposed on Italy?
1936 - way too late
What happens in 1936 on Hitler’s side
1936
Hitler marches into Rhineland
Describe events in the 1932-34 Peace Conference during :
July ‘32, September ‘32, December ‘32,
January ‘33, February ‘33, May ‘33, June ‘33, October ‘33
EMPTY
What was the Young plan?
1929
To reduce Germany’s reparation payments
What was the Rapallo Treaty
1922
USSR & GERMANY reestablish diplomatic relations
What was the Locarno treaty
1925
GERMANY accepts its western borders as set out in Versailles
The pact is a paved path to join the League
What was the Kellogg-Briand pact?
1928
65 countries agree to not use violence to settle disputes
What di the League do to discourage agression?
50% success
Solved 50% of conflicts
Kellogg-Briand treaty accepted by roughly 64 (or 65?) countries
Showed a peaceful example and enforced peace
Used sanctions to discourage agression
_______________________________
The largest conflicts were not stopped - e.g. Corfu
What did the League do to encourage disarmament?
20% of success
1921 Washington Conference :
USA, Britain, France and Japan limit their navies
_________________________________
Germany had been forced to be disarmed but the League countries refused to disarm to the same extend
Disarmament process very slow
Nobody wanted to disarm first
How was the Manchurian crisis - give numbers
“The rape of nanking”
250,000 death
80,000 women raped or otherwise defiled
What sparked Italian invasion of Abyssinia
1934
Dispute at Wal-Wal Oasis (80 Km form Abyssinia’s border)
Describe invasion of Teschen
1919 (Poland, Silesia)
aka Teschen Dispute
Poland and Czechoslovakia fighting for Teschen’s valuable coal mines
Shared territory:
bulk —> Poland
Slice with most coal mines —> Czechoslovakia
What was the Lytton Report, and what was it’s significance?
The Lytton Report was the findings of an inquiry into Japan’s actions in Manchuria.
Lord Lytton (British Politician) began his enquiry in 1931, but the report was not published until October 1932.
The report simply stated what was already known:
❖Japan had acted unreasonably.
❖Japan had stated that there had been an attack on its railway in South Manchuria (which it had instigated themselves) but, regardless, Japan had overstepped and was condemned for invading.
The Lytton report was much criticised due to the amount of time it took. The report took 7 months in total. The League was too slow to act.
Although the League’s findings were official and said Japan was the aggressor, Japan just ignored this and left the League.
Significance
The Lytton report was significant because it demonstrated the failure of the League of Nations. It was too slow to act, and Japan didn’t take the ruling seriously anyway.
When was the Lytton Report?
Started in 1931, but was only published 1932, 7 months later
Which was the most important article in the covenant of the League?
Article 10 - Collective Security
