League of Nations Flashcards
What were the aims of the League?
1) discourage aggression from any nation
2) encourage nations to disarm
3) improve living and working conditions around the world
Why was the League unpopular for Americans?
1) After WWI they wanted to stay out of war but LoN assumed USA would send in troops to settle arguments
2) Americans were anti Br and Fr and believed in freedom; why would they safeguard their colonies?
3) They had become powerful by isolationism
4) Many Americans were German immigrants who were affected by TOV –> LoN!
What was the paradoxical situation in 1919?
The League was the USA’s idea but they failed to join
What was the weakness of the League with regards to the USA?
USA was absent; Britain and France were the most powerful countries in the League
What were the issues with Britain as League’s main power?
Britain weakened by war; not major power it had been
No sufficient resources to compensate for LoN loss
Enemy of Germany; animosity towards them (hostility in League UNFAIR)
Self-interested; wanted to rebuild British trade and control the British Empire
What were the issues with France as the League’s main power?
France weakened by war
Still worried about own army; vulnerable from German attack, prepared to bypass League
Was not impartial due to rivalry with Germany
What did France have that was beneficial to the League?
A strategic position in the centre of Europe which allowed it to rebuild trade links
List the League’s other weaknesses
ambitious aims
no army
decisions had to be unanimous
Secretariat too small to handle vast work of League
set up by council who were not the most powerful and not prepared to use their armies
Name the League’s failures in the 1920s
Vilna 1920, Corfu 1923, Geneva Protocol 1924
Describe the League’s failure in Vilna in 1920
Showed that LoN members only acted in self interests
- Vilna capital of Lithuania but largely Polish population
- 1920, Polish army simply take control of it
- Lithuania appeal to LoN for help
- League protested to Poland but no withdrawal
- France refuse to send in troops b/c Pol is an ally against Germany
- Did nothing - Poles kept Vilna
Describe the League’s failure in Corfu in 1923
Showed that LoN slow to act, final decisions changeable, powerless
- border between Greece and Albania sorted and supervised by Italian Tellini
- on Greek side him and his troops are killed
- Mussolini is furious; demands compensation and murderers’ execution
- Invades Corfu on 31 Aug, 15 people killed
- Greece appeal to the LoN
- League act swiftly to condemn Muss
- Keep money until murderers found
- Muss coerced League to change terms; money to Italy
Describe the failure of the Geneva Protocol
Protocol said that if 2 nations in dispute, have to consult League and accept council’s decision
- failed when Britain refused to sign; opposite of whole Protocol
List the successes of the League
Upper Silesia 1921, Aaland Islands 1921, Bulgaria 1925
What happened in Upper Silesia 1921?
Showed League was workable (no violence after a year) and impartial (fair plebiscite)
- industrial region on German and Polish border and both wanted possession
- 1920, plebiscite called and troops sent to keep order
- LoN divided the region on basis of the result, safeguarded rail link to prevent future disputes, assured water and power supplies
What happened in the Aaland Islands 1921?
Showed League was impartial and workable
- Sweden and Finland wanted control
- appealed to the LoN who said - ‘Finland’
What happened in Bulgaria 1925?
Showed the League was workable (dispute sorted quickly) yet worked in the interest of larger country!
- Oct 1925 Greek Troops invaded Bulgaria after incident on border killed Greek soldiers
- Bulgaria appealed for help
- LoN condemned Greece (ordered compensation and thus avoided war)
- One rule for big powers (Italy) and another for small ones (Greece)
What was the Washington Conference of 1921?
USA, Japan, Br and Fr agreed to reduce navy
- disarmament aim
- failed as it only occurred in Germany UNFAIR
What was the Rapallo Treaty of 1922?
Aim to re-establish diplomatic relations, encourage a feeling of peace
What was the Dawes Plan of 1924?
Aimed to avert an economic crisis in Germany so USA lent Ger money
What was the Young Plan of 1929?
Reduced Germany’s reparations payment
What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928?
For all 65 nations to agree not to use force to settle disputes; point of high international relations - all countries willing to work together in line with LoN’s aim but did not help disarmament
What were the Locarno Treaties in 1925?
For all of the western borders to be accepted by Germany as in the ToV
To accept Rhineland as a demilitarized zone
How did the Locarno treaties improve the peace in Europe?
They facilitated the League’s aim to discourage aggression from any nation and resolved problems from WWI in that France was content with the guarantee of border security
What was the happy period from the Locarno treaties?
The Locarno Honeymoon
How was Germany given leeway to appease the League in the future?
By accepting the League’s aims in the Locarno Treaties Germany showed goodwill towards France and was granted entry into the League in 1926 (USSR NOT). The LoN was putting to bed animosity with Ger
How did the League help Refugees?
League repatriated 400,000 prisoners to their homeland
How did the League help in the Turkey Crisis of 1922
Acted quickly to stamp out cholera, dysentery and smallpox in refugee camps
How did the League improve working conditions?
Campaigned for general improvements to be brought about
Introduced the 48hr week, 8hr day
Banned white lead from paint
Limited child labour hours
How did the League improve health in Europe?
Defeated leprosy
Global extermination of mosquitoes allowed for reduced cases of malaria and yellow fever
How did the League assist the USSR?
Advised them on preventing plague in Siberia
How did the League help transport?
Marked shipping lanes and made an international highway code for road users
How did the League improve social conditions?
Worked against slavery
Targeted illegal drug trading
How did the League work against slavery?
Freed 200,000 slaved in Br-owned Sierra Leone
What was the start for disarmament in the 1920s?
The Washington Conference in 1921 but only the USA, Japan, Br and Fr agreed to limit the navy size
What followed the Washington Conference in the aim for disarmament in 1920s?
The 1923 Disarmament Treaty - rejected by Br as it would tie her to defending other countries
How did the League ultimately fail in disarmament in the 1920s?
In 1926 it took 5yrs to plan a dis.conference on a focus which Germany then rejected.
How was the League’s damaged by first disarmament failure?
Damaging to the League’s reputation in Ger as Ger forced to disarm in Rhineland long before anyone else even though of it
Why was the 1920s disarmament failure not taken so seriously?
The 1925 Locarno Treaties and the 1928 Kellogg-Briand Pact promised a peaceful world
Why was there optimism in 1928?
Economies were recovering
How did economies recover in 1928?
The Dawes Plan of 1924 helped sort out Ger’s chaos and mobilsie Br and Fr economies. Money rebuilt industry which increased employment which increased international trade with increased profits.
Why did trade improve things?
Recovery of trading relationships between countries meant that there was reduced tension as trading countries are unlikely to go to war.
When did the Disarmament conference begin?
1932
What was the League pressurized into in the 1930s in terms of disarmament?
League under pressure to sort out disarmament as it was unfair on Germany to have had to disarm to such an extent
What did the Disarmament Conference aim for?
Limit artillery size and tank tonnage
No chemical warfare
No civilian bombing
What was the main issue to be sorted at the disarmament conference?
Germany had been in the League for 6 years –> should all disarm to their level of should Ger be allowed to rearm to their level?
How did the League start sorting out disarmament? (Br note to Ger)
1932 - Ger first proposed other countries disarm down to its level but Conference failed to agree so Germany walked out. Br sent Ger a note saying they partially agreed to equality but superior tone of letter angered Ger
What happened after the note was sent to Ger?
Finally all in agreement to treat Germany equally so Ger returned to the League
What happened after Ger returned to the League?
(Hitler secretly rearming Ger)
Ger promised not to rearm if all other nations also destroyed arms in 5yrs - but then Hitler withdrew from conference and then League altogether
Why did the Disarmament conference fail in 1934?
Britain though the ToV was unfair so signed an agreement in 1935 to allow Ger to increase navy up to 35% of British navy (worried about trade and communism.) Whilst France wanted to punish Germany.
SELF INTERESTED POWERS
Why could disarmament never work?
Everyone knew that Hitler was rearming so they too began to rebuild armaments
What was the overall underlying issue?
Everyone was isolationist
Doomed from start - no one prepared to disarm
What were the 6 main factors in the League failing?
TULDET
The self-interest of leading members USA and other important countries absent Lack of troops Decisions were slow Economic sanctions did not work The treaties it had to uphold were seen as unfair
The self-interest of leading members
The League depended upon Br and Fr to provide firm support in times of crisis. When conflcits ocurred, neither Br nor Fr gov was prepared to abandon its own self-interest to support League
- 1929 WALL STREET CRASH; each country protects own economy
- VILNA 1920s; Br and Fr didn’t act to protect own interests
USA and other important countries absent
Important countries not members. Ger - 1926 left in 1933 USSR - 1934 Japan left 1933 Italy left 1937 Without such powers and USA League lacked authority and sanctions not effective
-Manchurian Crisis: LoN didn’t have enough manpower to remove Japan from M by force
Lack of troops
If economic sanctions failed military force next option but LoN had no armed forces of own and relied upon co-operation of members - but Br and Fr not willing to commit troops
- Manchuria; only USA and USSR had troops to remove Japan
- no military force to oppose Italy invading Abyssinia
Economic sanctions did not work
Meant to be LoN’s main weapon but LoN did not willingly impose them as they were afraid that without USA wouldn’t work
When imposed easily broken so League appeared WEAK
- Abyssinia; LoN delayed decision to ban oil exports to Italy for 2 months for fear USA wouldn’t support the sanction
- Wall Street Crash; affected those who had borrowed money
The treaties it had to uphold were seen as unfair
League was bound to uphold treaties that created it but some policies were harsh and needed amending; further undermined the League
- ToV - too harsh, unfair as only affected Ger
Decisions were slow
LoN met too infrequently and took too long to decide and the need for unanimous decision also undermined LoN’s strength
- Took long to decide fate of Vilna and in the end did nothing
