League of Nations

Question 1

When was the League of Nations set up?

Answer 1

1920

Question 2

In 1920 how many permanent members were there in the League of Nations? How many by 1930?
Were there other membership discrepancies?

Answer 2

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.

Question 3

What is a covenant?

Answer 3

A set of rules

Question 4

The covenant set out the rules for the League of Nations which were…. (4)

Answer 4

Prevent aggression by any nation
encourage cooperation between nations
work towards international disarmament
improve the living and working conditions of all peoples

Question 5

What idea was the LON built on, what did this mean…

Answer 5

Collective security, meant that the members of the LON could prevent war by acting together to defend and protect the interests of all nations.

Question 6

Organisation of the LON
The Assembly…
Where
Role

Answer 6

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.

Question 7

Organisation of the LON
The Council...
When
5
4
Took un....

Answer 7

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.

Question 8

The Secretariat

What is did

Answer 8

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.

Question 9

Commissions… what did they do?

Answer 9

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.

Question 10

The International Labour Organisation (ILO)

When and why?

Answer 10

Brought about the LON’s aim of improving working conditions around the world. Met every year to persuade and set standards.

Question 11

The Permanent Court of Justice
where…
What it did…

Answer 11

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.

Question 12

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?

Answer 12

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.

Question 13

What was the morale sanction?

Answer 13

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.

Question 14

What was the economic sanction?

Answer 14

This meant all countries in the LON would stop trading with the aggressor.

Question 15

What was the military sanction?

Answer 15

Military force, in which the members of the LON would contribute to an armed force which would attack the aggressor.

Question 16

What is the definition of an economic sanction?

Answer 16

The restrictions on trade with another country.

Question 17

When was the Manchurian Crisis? Where?

Why was this significant?

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

Why did Japan want to expand?

Answer 18

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.

Question 19

How did Japan so easily take control of Manchuria? Why did they want Manchuria?

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

Why couldn’t China fight back better?

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

What did the LON do to solve the Manchurian Crisis?

Answer 21

It accepted the findings in the report and asked the Japanese to withdraw form Manchuria, they walked out of the LON, remaining in control.

Question 22

What did the result of the Manchurian event signify?
End
B+F
Aggression

Answer 22

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.

Question 23

What does protectionist mean?

Answer 23

The economic theory of using the tax system to protect home industries in the face of foreign competition (tariffs).

Question 24

What were the causes of the Abyssinian crisis? 1935 by Italy…
Territory
Euro
Embarrassing

Answer 24

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.

Question 25

Who asked for help in the Abyssinian Crisis?

What did the League implement?

Answer 25

Haile Selassie appealed to the LON for assistance, so the LON condemned the italian aggression setting economic sanctions on all but the oil and they continued to trade with America, so they weren’t as affected.

Question 26

Why didn’t the British and French help much to stop the Italians?
What did they make..?

Answer 26

They didn’t want to offend Mussolini and drive him closer to Hitler and Germany.
The British Foreign Secretary and the french worked out a plan to offer Mussolini most of Abyssinia, the Hoare-Laval Pact, but it was leaked to the public and withdrawn.

Question 27

What effects did the Abyssinian crisis have on the LON?

Answer 27

It resulted in the LON not to be taken seriously resulting in the end of the organisation as peacekeeping.
The secret Hoare-Laval Pact showed that Britain and France were undermining the LON.

Question 28

What is Veto?

Answer 28

The right to block a decision made by others.

Question 29

Why did the League collapse?
Countries...
Anglo-Frech
Organisation and Sanctions
Wall Street Crash

Answer 29

It lacked key members including Russia and the US
It relied on the cooperation of the French and British but they fell out over the French occupation of the Rhur in January 1923
Made it difficult for the League to act quickly, and many countries weren’t willing to fully back the sanctions, and the League had no army.
The problems seemed distant as the Wall Street crash ‘29 was causing current mass unemployment in the 30s, leaving little money for these distant problems. + a huge drop in trade

Question 30

Describe the aggression in the LON…

Answer 30

Going against the aims of peace of the LON Japan Italy and Germany tried to improve their living conditions by taking over other lands, with good results.

Question 31

Describe the Great Depression in terms of tension for the LON… then aggression…

Answer 31

Trade slowed or stopped between countries as unemployment rose, causing further depression and tariffs… leading to aggression because they were not willing to back the LON along with America who came up with it in the first place, because of isolationism.

Question 32

Describe the rivalry surrounding the LON…

Answer 32

The number of dictatorships was rising as politicians were promising greatness for their countries needing to escape poverty, going against self determination, more than 20 countries became dictatorships after 1929.

Question 33

Failure of disarmament also has an affect on the LON, describe it…

Answer 33

In the Disarmament meeting in 1932-3 the LON refused to disarm to Hitler’s level so Germany withdrew from the LON and began to rearm. This would increase tension and aggression as the other countries will no longer feel as safe with Germany rearming with revenge in its mind.