League of Nations Flashcards
When was the League of Nations set up?
1920
In 1920 how many permanent members were there in the League of Nations? How many by 1930?
Were there other membership discrepancies?
42 original member, then nearly 60.
The USA refused to join.
The defeated nations were at first not allowed to join
Russia was not allowed to join because of the communist government.
What is a covenant?
A set of rules
The covenant set out the rules for the League of Nations which were…. (4)
Prevent aggression by any nation
encourage cooperation between nations
work towards international disarmament
improve the living and working conditions of all peoples
What idea was the LON built on, what did this mean…
Collective security, meant that the members of the LON could prevent war by acting together to defend and protect the interests of all nations.
Organisation of the LON
The Assembly…
Where
Role
Located in the LON’s head quarters in Geneva, Switzerland, met once a year.
The debating chamber of the LON. When it began the 42 members, each with a vote in the Assembly.They had the power to admit new members, elect permanent members to the Council and suggest to existing peace treaties.
Organisation of the LON The Council... When 5 4 Took un....
Met up three times a year, and in emergencies.
Five permanent members and four temporary…
5 major powers - Britain France Italy Japan and from 1926 Germany
4 temporary - elected for three years at a time
Voted unanimously for desicions
peacekeeping role.
The Secretariat
What is did
The civil service that carried out the work and administration of the LON. Keeping records of the meetings and preparing reports for the different organisations.
Commissions… what did they do?
Set up to carry out specialist work. Including the refugees commission, for a limited time, helping WW1 refugees return to their homes. Others for slavery and health.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO)
When and why?
Brought about the LON’s aim of improving working conditions around the world. Met every year to persuade and set standards.
The Permanent Court of Justice
where…
What it did…
Based at the Hague in the Netherlands. Made up of judges from different legal systems in different countries. Gave decisions on disputes between nations but couldn’t enforce these.
Peacekeeping role of the Council
Main duty was solving disputes between states through negotiation. How was self protection involved? What technique was used to prevent wars?
if a country was though to have started a war aggressively then it would become a concern of all the countries in the LON, who would then take action against it.. in the form of sanctions.
What was the morale sanction?
Moral condemnation: Pressure on the aggressor in order to make them feel guilt and shame so they would stop the war and accept the LON’s decision.
What was the economic sanction?
This meant all countries in the LON would stop trading with the aggressor.
What was the military sanction?
Military force, in which the members of the LON would contribute to an armed force which would attack the aggressor.
What is the definition of an economic sanction?
The restrictions on trade with another country.
When was the Manchurian Crisis? Where?
Why was this significant?
1931-33, area of land north of the Koreas, owned by Japan, and north of China.
It was the first major challenge to the LON.
Why did Japan want to expand?
Japan lost trade due to protectionist policies following the wall street crash, having a massive impact on its economy, as a rising power in Asia it had developed quickly towards modern trading, Japan looked for other ways to expand.
How did Japan so easily take control of Manchuria? Why did they want Manchuria?
They used the excuse of a Chinese attack on their railway in Manchuria to invade this Chinese territory.
It was rich in natural materials so provided a market for Japanese goods. The invasion was a success and they renamed the area.
Why couldn’t China fight back better?
It was in the middle of a civil war, unable to defend Manchuria.
It then appealed to the LON who sent out the Lytton Comission to assess what was going on but it was to slow, so by the time the report was finished the occupation of Manchuria was complete, a year later.
What did the LON do to solve the Manchurian Crisis?
It accepted the findings in the report and asked the Japanese to withdraw form Manchuria, they walked out of the LON, remaining in control.
What did the result of the Manchurian event signify?
End
B+F
Aggression
The start of the end of the LON because they didn’t follow their key aims.
Britain and France were not willing to support the League in taking action against the Japanese.
The League failed to prevent aggression, encouraging later aggression from Italy and Germany.
What does protectionist mean?
The economic theory of using the tax system to protect home industries in the face of foreign competition (tariffs).
What were the causes of the Abyssinian crisis? 1935 by Italy…
Territory
Euro
Embarrassing
Mussolini had ruled since 1922 and wanted to increase the prestige of Italy as a big power by increasing its African territories.
Abyssinia was one of few countries in Africa not under European control.
The Italians wanted revenge after an embarrassing defeat with the Abyssinians in the battle of Adowa 1896.
