League Of Nations

Question 1

What are the different parts of the League?

Answer 1

Secretariat, assembly, council of the League, international labour organisation, permanent court of justice, and special commissions

Question 2

What did the secretariat do?

Answer 2

They did all the admin. Carried out decisions taken by the council. They prepared the agenda and published reports of the meetings.

Question 3

What did the assembly do?

Answer 3

It met once a year, and was made up of representatives from all member nations, each having one vote. However, they all had to agree to make a decision, which was very difficult. They could vote on admitting new members, admitting temporary members of the council, and the budget of the League, and elected judges of the permanent court. They also discussed issues put forward by council and could recommend action to council

Question 4

What did the Council of the League do?

Answer 4

They took all the major decisions. Made of of permanent members, and also some temporary members for three years. In 1920 the permanent members were: France, U.K, Italy and Japan. For punishment it could use moral condemnation, economic and financial sanctions, or military force. The Council could also veto any decision made.

Question 5

What did the International Labour Organisation do?

Answer 5

Discussed working conditions and got countries to make improvements. They met once a year and had representatives from all member nations. However, couldn’t enforce rulings or regulate businesses. Failed to persuade countries to adopt 48 hr work week

Question 6

What did the Permanent Court of Justice do?

Answer 6

They settled international disputes, e.g. Frontiers, however they could not make sure the countries followed their ruling. Made up of 15 judges from member nations.

Question 7

What did the Special Commissions do?

Answer 7

Tackled other major problems.
Refugees- helped return 400,00 ex-POWS and refugees home.
Health- worked to defeat Leprosy, and exterminate mosquitoes to reduce malaria and yellow fever
Social problems- blacklisted 4 companies involved in drugs. Freed 200,000 slaves in Sierra Leone

Question 8

What did the Big three want from the League of Nations?

Answer 8

Wilson: more like a world parliament, meet regularly(he won)
Clemenceau: league with a strong army
Lloyd-George: meet only in emergencies, keep it simple

Question 9

Why didn’t America ever join the League?

Answer 9

• Didn’t want their troops involved in another war, already affected by WWI.
• Could cost a lot. They’d have to sort out all international problems and most Americans had made money from isolationism.
• They were against imperialism, no colonies/empires. So why should they fight for Britain/France’s empire.
• Republicans wanted normalcy, not involved in Europe, better this way they won the elections, as Wilson had a stroke
• Some Americans disliked ToV, as many were German immigrants. So didn’t like LoN who could make Germany pay reps.

Question 10

What were the aims of the League?

Answer 10

• To discourage aggression from any nation
• To encourage countries to co-operate especially in trade+business
• to encourage nations to disarm
• To improve the living and working conditions of people in all parts of the world

Question 11

What are some examples of peacekeeping activities in the 1920’s by the LoN and how were they solved?

Answer 11

Aaland islands, 1921;Sweden and Finland contested these, but LoN decided that Finland should get them, Sweden accepted this.
Vilna, 1920;Poland refused to withdraw troops from Lithuania. League did nothing to keep peace with Poland as strong ally. Sporadic fighting continued.
Economic collapse in Austria and Hungary, 1922-3;LoN arranged international loans, and sent commissions to look over money. Soon recovered
Corfu, 1923: Mus occupied Greek Corfu after the murder of Italian diplomat(+4 staff), and demanded financial compensation and an apology. LoN demanded it be given to them. Mus refused to accept this, LoN changed to what m wanted, M left Corfu. Set bad example as force tool for foreign policy. Also, I member of security council
Memel 1923: Lith seized Memel, G port under L control. L told lith to leave nut Conference of ambassadors gave it Memel to them

Question 12

What was the Dawes Plan?

Answer 12

1924, aimed to avoid economic crisis in Germany. America lent money to get economy going. LoN not involved.

Question 13

What were the Locarno treaties?

Answer 13

Oct 1925. Aimed for Germany to accept some terms of ToV, and to secure borders and relations. Lots of main European powers involved. Terms were than Germany accepts French and Belgian borders laid out in ToV, that Germany as pets Rhineland as demilitarised, and that Germany and France agree to settle disputes via LoN.

Question 14

What was the Young Plan?

Answer 14

1929. Aimed to reduce Germany’s reps payments. Germany and former wartime allies were involved. This reduces the amount Germany had to pay back, and let it pay back over time.

Question 15

How successful was the LoN in the 1920s?

Answer 15

Good in smaller problems, i.e. Aaland Islands, however needed more power to solve bigger problems, i.e. Didn’t have a military so they couldn’t solve Vilna.

Question 16

How did the depression affect the League of Nations?

Answer 16

US called in $ from Germany from Dawes plan ∴ Germany poor- 6m unemployed. Depression spread to other countries as no trade etc. Also, imports heavily tariffed to protect national industries(US). Other countries then taxed imports in retaliation. In some countries, e.g. Japan or Germany extremist parties offered radical solutions to the depression, and so were voted into power. Lead to hatred of other countries, and destroyed much of the co-operation between countries, which made it harder for the League to work.

Question 17

Why did militarism develop in Japan?

Answer 17

Population growth and industrial development in Japan meant they needed food and raw materials, which they couldn’t get due to depression and tariffs on Japanese good from China and US. Therefore, people put hope in conquests in Manchuria. Japan had strong army, and politicians were afraid to obstruct its progress, as some politicians assassinated

Question 18

What happened in the Manchurian crisis?

Answer 18

1931, Japanese army claimed Chinese had sabotaged Southern Manchurian railway, which they owned. Japanese then overran Manchuria and installed puppet gov. (Manchoukuo) 1932, Japanese army bombed Shanghai, Japanese gov. told them to stop, but was ignored. China appealed to LoN but Japan said they did it in self-defence to stop anarchy in China. Long delay, then LoN said Japan acted badly and should return land to China(Lytton Report 1932: Japan aggressor, manchukuo not recognised, Manchuria be given autonomy). Japan didn’t agree and said they’d invade more China. Left LoN 1933 and invaded Jehol. LoN powerless to stop it. In 1936 J signed pact w G

Question 19

Why did the LoN fail in the Manchurian crisis?

Answer 19

They didn’t have enough resources to stop a powerful aggressive policy. USA and USSR only ones with enough resources but they weren’t in League. This made the LoN seem weak and ineffective. Took 12 months Lytton report, as far away ∴ looked weak in face of military power in distant part of world

Question 20

Why did the disarmament conference fail?

Answer 20

• The LoN wasn’t able to produce any practical plans, only a few resolutions made.
• None of the countries very serious about disarmament, felt they needed their armies.
• Germany walked out several times, after feeling they weren’t being treated equally, and then after rearming secretly.
• Germany and Britain had been working together secretly, shows they were only acting in self-interest even though permanent members.

Question 21

How did the failure of the disarmament conference affect the League of Nations?

Answer 21

Countries began to do their own thing, e.g. Germany began rearming openly and other countries didn’t even try to stop it. People stopped working through the LoN. Other member countries started rearming themselves.

Question 22

What happened in the Abyssinian crisis?

Answer 22

1896 I lost to E ∴ M wanted revenge. Also, depression. 1935, Wal-Wal incident, clash btw I and A, precipitating Ab crisis. Dispute between Italy and Ethiopian in Abyssinia. Haile Selassie appeals to LoN, but Italy doesn’t follow LoN’s plan and invades Abyssinia(1935). LoN dithers I urged to stop, has some economic sanctions, e.g. Rubber, and metals on Italy. Crucially, B didn’t close Suez Canal ∴M continued to supply his armies . Hoare and Laval(Britain and France) plan to do secret deal with Mussolini to give him 2/3 Abyssinia if he stops invasion. This leaked to press. Bad, as act of treachery against LoN. 1936 Hitler invades Rhineland, and Mussolini continues to invade. Sign Rome-Berlin axis.

Question 23

Why did the Abyssinian crisis fail?

Answer 23

• Britain and France had been acting in self interest and at first turned a blind eye to keep good relations with Mussolini, so they’d all be allies against Germany.
• Britain slow to put on bans of oil and coal a worried how it’d affect their industries. Could lose 30,000 coal miners jobs. League looked powerless
• The decisions were slow and it took a long time to agree on what sanctions to place.
• These sanctions didn’t work very well, e.g. When oil ban finally put in place American supplied Italy with more oil as they were disgusted with Britain and France.

Question 24

How did the Abyssinian crisis affect the League of Nations?

Answer 24

Showed they couldn’t solve big disputes.
People couldn’t trust the LoN to do good work, hadn’t sorted out any crises. Once countries realised they couldn’t trust LoN they had to look out for themselves and began rearming for WWII.
Failure taught Hitler he could do what he wanted and nobody would stop him.

Question 25

Why did the LoN fail in the 1930s?

Answer 25

• leading members self-interested, e.g. Hoare and Laval, so helping league was secondary
• economic sanctions didn’t work, took too long, easily broken, e.g. Abysssinia
• treaties LoN bound to uphold seen as unfair, e.g.Britain thought some parts of ToV too harsh, this undermined league.
• important countries(USSR USA)absent, so LoN lacked authority and sanctions not efficient
• had no troops of its own, and other countries didn’t want to contribute troops, so couldn’t intervene e.g. Manchurian crisis
• Structure: decisions were slow, only met once a year and all members had to agree, e.g. Manchurian crisis, report took a year to come out
• in 1930s dealt w big bullies unlike smaller countries in 1920s ∴ too strong for league

Question 26

What were the basic ideas behind the LoN?

Answer 26

• collective security- if whole world agrees to protactinium a nations’ borders and rights, no country will need armies for itself
• community of power- if whole world agree not protect a country, it will have a collective moral power stopping one country from attacking another
• moral persuasion- idea that weight of world’s opinion against a country behaving improperly will force them to end wars/right wrongs

Question 27

How did militarism develop in italy

Answer 27

• Italy remarked
• invaded ab in response to depression, and as a target for his aggressive policies
• Italy sent troops to help nationalists in SCW
• signed Rome Berlin axis
• joined anti Comintern pact