League of Nations Flashcards
What was the background to the league?
- Part of Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points
- American idea of what the league should be followed- France wanted army and Britain only wanted emergency meetings.
- Set up 1919 during Paris Peace Conference.
What were the aims of the LoN?
- To discourage aggression and solve border disputes
- To encourage countries to disarm
- To improve living and working conditions
- To encourage good relations between countries in business and trade
Describe the structure of the LoN.
Met in Geneva
•Council with 4 permanent members (GB, FRA, JAP, & IT) which met 5x pa with Germany becoming permanent mem in 1926. Each had a veto.
•Assembly with one rep per country- met once a year with decisions having to be unanimous.
•Commissions for specific issues (i.e. Refugees Commission).
•No Army
What were the problems with the structure of the LoN?
- Major countries had to much power with Veto and council.
- Decision making slow as they rarely met.
- Lack of army made it difficult to enforce rulings.
Which countries were absent from the LoN? What problems did this cause?
- Germany- not allowed to join initially as part of the ToV. This made the LoN seem vindictive.
- USSR- made disarmament difficult as no country would disarm if the USSR did not. Also had a big army.
- USA- most powerful country absent which meant they did not have the USA’s military support. The USAs support on sanctions would have made them more effective. Leadership forced on GB + FRA magnifying weaknesses and self-interest due to crippled post war economies
What border disputes were the league successful with in the 1920s?
- Aaland Islands (1921)- dispute between Sweden and Finland. Reached diplomatic solution.
- Upper Silesia (1921)- dispute between Germany and Poland. Reached diplomatic solution.
- Bulgaria (1925)- dispute between Greece and Albania. Stepped down in response to LoN pressure.
What border disputes were a failure for the LoN in the 1920s?
- Vilna (1920)- Poland invade Vilna. Lithuania appeal. LoN do not respond.
- Corfu (1923)- a dispute where Italy invaded the Greek Corfu and LoN were unsuccessful in getting them to leave
Why was the LoN able to have some successes in the 1920s?
- There was little aggression. This meant diplomatic negotiations could be more successful and its lack if army was not exposed.
- Generally less powerful countries involved so they were less able to stand up to the LoN.
- GB + FRA supported the League’s decisions and took an interest in the issue.
- The relative stable economy meant countries were not as desperate for advances and distractions meaning greater co-operation.
How did the league improve living and working conditions in the 20s?
- Solved refugee crisis in Turkey (1923).
- Banned poisonous white lead from paint.
- Introduced restrictions on child labour.
- Mitigated slave trading in Burma
- Made advances in limiting malaria
In what ways could it be argued the LoN was doomed from the start?
- It had many structural weaknesses resulting in inefficiency and incompetence with decision making.
- Absence of key countries meant decision enforcement was difficult and disarmament impossible.
- The lack of an army meant there were difficulties in enforcing decisions.
In what ways could it be argued the LoN was not doomed from the start?
- Successes such as the Aaland Islands/Bulgaria/Upper Silesia
- Improved living and working conditions in the 20s
- Thrived with stable economy- therefore not doomed had economic conditions been better.
What was the depression’s impact on the leaders of the LoN?
It made Britain and France more interested in their own economies than in intervening in LoN’s disputes.
What was the depression’s impact on aggressor countries?
- The depression helps Hitler come to power in Germany. He leads a more aggressive foreign policy and begins rearmament. This goes against the LoN’s aims to encourage disarmament and discourage aggression.
- The depression encourages Mussolini to look for more land abroad. This is in order to distract from the poverty in Italy and for resources.
- The depression encourages Japan to invade China in order to fix economic problems with resources.
Why did Japan invade Manchuria in 1931?
- To gain resources to aid economic troubles.
- They felt that the league was too incompetent to intervene
- Japan was effectively a military dictatorship.
What happened in Manchuria in 1931?
- Japan claims China sabotaged a Jap railway line in Manchuria and used it as an excuse to invade.
- They invaded in Sept 1931.
- China then appeals to the LoN.
- LoN take year to write Lytton Report saying Japan was unlawful and should leave.
- In Feb 1933 the Japs invaded more of China .
- League discussed sanctions and military force but ultimately did nothing.
