League of Nations & International agreements Flashcards
aims of league
- uphold and enforce T of V
- stop war by encouraging negotiation rather than aggression
- disarmament- encourage countries to have smaller militaries
- improve life and jobs of people around the world
important articles of covenant of league
- article 10- collective security- any member threatened with war should be protected by other members
- League was a peaceful organisation and so didn’t have a standing army
mitigation and its weaknesses
+ getting disagreeing countries to talk through problems
- could simply ignore league
moral condemnation and its weakness
+ publicly telling off and pressuring aggressor using guilt and shame to stop their actions
- aggressor could simply ignore the league
economic sanctions and its weakness
+ members of league wouldn’t trade with aggressors causing conflicts
- countries unwilling to stop trade as they also lose out
- countries such as USA not in league, so cannot enforce effectively
military action and its weakness
+ counties in league contribute towards an armed force to act against aggressor
- no standing army, so took time to build army
- countries unwilling to send troops in with WW1 in hindsight
countries absent from league
- USA
- Russia
- Germany
Weakness of USA’s absence
- hard to enforce trade sanctions when USA, a large trading partner of many were not in league
- as it was idea of USA to create league, many felt this undermined its effectiveness/purpose
issues with league from start
- USA’s absence
- no standing army
- Britain and France main countries, but neither were enthusiastic about it and were willing to undermine it
different parts of league
- Assembly
- Council
- International court of Justice
- special commissions
- secretariat
what was the assembly
- over 50 members, like league’s parliament
- met once a year
- needed unanimous vote to pass a decision
problems with assembly
- with this many members, hard to reach a unanimous vote
- hard to deal with rising issues when only met once. a year
what was international court of justice
- had 15 judges
- settled disputes between countries
problems with I.C of J
- could only get involved if countries agreed to take problems to court
- couldn’t make countries obey its decisions
what was the council
- small, powerful group of members (Britain, France, Japan, Italy)
- met 5 times a year to discuss urgent matters
- permanent members had a veto
problems with council
- Veto could prevent decisions being made, meaning smaller countries have almost no say
what was special commissions
- groups/ task forces to handle issues around the world such as poverty, child labour etc
what was the secretariat
- administrators for the League
what happened in Vilna, 1920
- Poland invaded Vilna, capital of new state of Lithuania, as many Polish people living there
- Lithuania, called League for help, so they asked Poland to remove troops
- Poland ignored them, and took control of Vilna, with no further action taken against them
- What happened Ruhr, 1923
- Germany failed to pay reparations, so France and Belgium invaded Ruhr
- France didn’t consult League
- France being one of main members yet undermining League shows its weakness and their failure to keep peace
- Invasion of Ruhr eventually led to hyperinflation in Germany
what happened in Corfu, 1923
- league sent Italian officer Tellini to survey border between Greece and Albania, however he was killed
- Mussolini demanded compensation from Greeks, despite them denying killing Tellini
- Italy invaded Greek island of Corfu
- League morally condemned Italy but were ignored, and France backed Italy as they didnt want their actions in Ruhr to be brought to light
- greece made too apologise and pay compensation to italy
Who was Gustav Stresemann
- German politician
- Became chancellor briefly I 1923, before becoming foreign minister
What were Locarno treaties 1925
- An agreement posed by Germany to France to agree to not to invade one another and agreed borders
- Also signed by Britain, Italy, Belgium and Czechoslovakia
Significance of Locarno treaties
- Shows end to German resentment of TofV
- Improved relations between Germany and other nations, so much so that they joined LofN following year
- Some say it shows weakness of LofN, as they had nothing to do with it
What was Kellogg-Briand pact 1928
- an agreement between 65 countries agreeing not to use war as a way to solve disputes
- happened outside LofN as USA were involved
Significance of Kellogg-Briand pact
- Shows countries new ideology of peace
- shows weakness of LofN as once again, they were uninvolved- gives idea that they are useless at finding practical solutions
How did great depression effect league of Nations
- Hitler and Mussolini not afraid to use violence to get what they want
-unafraid of moral condemnation - countries didnt want to send armies to help League due to depression
- economic sanctions were hard due to depression- people didn’t want to stop trading with other countries
Why did Japan want Manchuria
- Japanese industry in decline due to depression
- Manchuria had fertile farmland and natural resources
- Japanese already owned large industries, the south Manchurian railway, and an army in the area
What happened in the Mukden incident
- On September 19th 1931 there was an explosion on south Manchurian railway
- Japanese army claimed it had been attacked by Chinese soldiers
- Chinese denied this
- Japanese army used this as an excuse to take over Manchuria
Why was the league reluctant to act on Manchurian crisis
- Didn’t want a big fight
- Many felt Japan owned Manchuria anyway
- Far removed from the League’s HQ in Geneva
- Japan a powerful member of the league
Why were the league UNABLE to act in Manchurian crisis
- Japan simply ignored Moral condemnation and command to withdraw troops
- Members of league couldn’t afford to send troops due to depression
- Couldn’t impose economic sanctions as their main trading partner was USA, who weren’t in league
What did the League end up doing in Manchurian crisis
- Sent commission of enquiry led by Lord Lytton to investigate- travelled to Japan by boat, showing lack of urgency of league
What did the Lytton report in 1932 conclude
- Japan was in the wrong
Outcomes of Manchurian crisis
- Japan still chose to ignore the league, despite Lytton report, and left the league
- Japan continued to invade china and controlled most major Chinese cities by 1938
- League seen as weak
Why did Mussolini want Abyssinia
- Wanted to rebuild Roman Empire
- Thought Britain and France couldn’t object as they owned so many colonies in that region
- owned small colonies bordering Abyssinia
- rich in natural resources
- Mussolini had confidence due to the Stresa front with Britain and France
What happened in December 1934
- Italian soldiers clashed with Abyssinians at the Wal Wal (on border between Somiliand and Abyssinia)
- 150 Abyssinians and 2 Italians killed
What happened in October 1935
- Italy entered Abyssinia in spite of moral condemnation of league
- Italians used latest technology to terrorise people into surrendering
What happened on 5 may 1936
- Italian troops took Abyssinian capital, despite Haile Selassie addressing the league about the issue
Why did the league fail in Abyssinia
- Trade sanctions only included weapons, however not coal and oil, therefore had little effect
- Didnt close Suez Canal as they didnt want to upset Mussolini
- Hoare-laval pact
What was Hoare-Laval pact
- Britain and France sent foreign ministers to come up with settlement to offer Italy
- Decided that Italy would be given areas in Abyssinia, mainly the fertile regions
- This land was not theirs to give and Abyssinia were not consulted at all
Why did France and Britain not want to upset Mussolini
- Scared he would leave Stresa front and join forces with Hitler
Why was league destined to fail
- No standing army
- Only met once a year, council had vetoes- decision making was slow
- not enough people to carry out decisions that were made
- Powerful nations such as USSR, USA and Germany left out
- Trade sanctions ineffective due to absence of USA
- Countries unafraid of Moral condemnation
- Great Depression made countries more concerned about their own problems
- Depression led to extremist leaders who were keen to invade others
- Britain and France too concerned about keeping Mussolini as an ally
