League of Nations Flashcards
When was the League of Nations ser up?
1920
What were the aims of the League? (4)
1) To keep world peace by dealing with disputes between nations
2) To safeguard the independance of countries
3) To encourage nations to reduce their armament
4) To improve living and working conditions for all people
What powers did the League have over other contries? (3)
1) Moral condemnation
2) Economic and financial sanctions
3) Military force
What power did permanent members of the council have?
Veto - a member could stop the council acting even if the other members agreed
Who were the original permanent members?
Britain, France, Italy and Japan
When did Germany join and leave the league?
1926 - 1933
What was the role of the Assembly?
The assembly was the league’s parliament. Every country was represented by one member and they could recomment action to the council to vote on:
New member
Appointing temporary members
The budget of the league
How often did the assembly meet?
Once a year
What was the role of the council?
To sort out disputes
Name the 4 league committees
Mandate, refugee, slavery and health committee
What happened in Vilna? When? Success or failure?
- Failure. Poland and Lithuania both wanted control of Vilna as it was the new state of Lithuania but most of it’s population was Polish. The league did nothing as they didn’t want to use troops and didn’t want to upset either member of the league.
What happened in Upper Silesia? When? Success or failure?
- Success. Upper Silesia was an industrial region on the border between Germany and Poland. It had both a Polish and German population and both countries wanted control. A plebiscite was organised for Silesians to vote on which country they wished to join. The vote turned out that the industrial areas voted for Germany, and the rural areas voted for Poland. The League decided to split Upper Silesia that way and both countries accepted it.
What happened in the Aaland Islands? When? Success or failure?
- Success. Both Sweden and Finland wanted the islands, which were in the middle of the countries. Both countries threatened to fight, they appealed to the league and the league decided that the Islands should go to Finland and Sweden accepted the decision
What happened in Corfu? When? Success or failure?
- Failure. Italians were surveying the border between Greece and Albania and the Greeks ambushed the Italians and killed them. Mussolini was furious, and took over the Greek Island, Corfu, the league condemned Mussolini’s actions and suggest that Greece pay compensation. However Mussolini went behind the leagues back and persuaded the Conference of Ambassadors to change the league’s ruling, and Greece were forced to pay compensation
When did Britain and France draw up the Geneva Protocol?
1924
What was the Geneva Protocol and how did it undermine the league?
It said that if two members were in dispute they would have to ask the League to sort out the disagreement and they would have to accept the Council’s decision. However there was a general election in Britain and the new conservative government refused to sign the Protocol as they didn’t want to be forced to agree to something that was not of its own interests.
What was agreed in the Locarno Treaty? When?
1925.The treaty made sure Germany accepted its borders with France
Name 4 successes of the League committees
1) They brought down four large companies involved in the drug trade
2) The health committee reduced the number of cases of malaria and yellow fever
3) Working conditions were improved and a maximum of a 48-hour week was put into place
4) The refugee committee re-homed 400, 000 prisoners
What was agreed in the Kellogg-Briand pact? When?
- 65 Nations agreed not to use force to settle disputes. However, nothing said what would happen if a state broke the terms but it made everyone feel safer.
What was agreed in the Dawes Plan? When?
- The USA lent money to Germany to help them pay their reparations and avert a economic crisis
What was agreed in the Young Plan? When?
- Germany’s reparations payment was reduced
Give 3 examples of how the Wall Street Crash and Depression affected the league
1) The USA was unwilling to support economic sanctions when its own trade was in such a mess
2) Hitler was gaining support as Germany was suffering from high unemployment and poverty
3) Britain suffered high unemployment and was unwilling to get involved with international disputes
When and why did Japan invade Manchuria?
1931-33. Japan wanted to expand their empire and first took control of the Manchurian railway, then bombed Shanghai. China appealed to the league but Japan claimed they weren’t invading.
How did the League react to Japan invading Manchuria?
As Japan was a leading member of the league, they sent officials to Manchuria to look over the case themselves. After a YEAR, the report was returned saying Manchuria should be returned to China. Japan resigned from the League, and the league did nothing and appeared powerless.
