LON Flashcards
Why was the league of nations made?
- To improve International relations and ensure peace between nations.
- Avoid a repeat of WW1
- meet up regularly
How did Wilson want the League of Nations to be?
-World Parliament, with reps from all nations who met regularly to solve issues between nations
How did British leaders want the league to be set up?
-Simple organisation which only met up during emergencies
How did France want the league to be set up?
-A strong league with its own army
Who insisted upon the league of nations?
-Wilson
What was Wilson’s first plan for the league of nations?
- Ambitious- Major nations join and disarm
- International issues would be dealt by the league
- If nations broke the promise and went to war all nations would stop trading with them and send troops to the area of conflict
How was Wilson’s plan for the League of Nations made?
In a hurry
How did Europe see Wilson’s first plan for the League of Nations?
Good- as no nation would then invade another due to the consequence of the US army invading them and not being able to trade with the USA
What approval did Wilson need to go ahead with his plan of LON?
-From the Congress
Why did Americans not want to join the league?
- The league was supposed to ensure peace and enforce the TOV however many Germans hated it.
- They din’t want to send more troops after WW1 casualties
- They feared the league would be dominated by GB and FR, so the US army would be called to defend their empires
- If the league imposed sanctions it might have been the US economy that suffered
Why did the USA not join the league?
Wilson lost the vote in 1919, and after he became seriously ill. He proposed the same idea to the Congress in 1920 but lost out again
What happened in the US vote 1920?
- Wilson couldn’t run for election as he was too ill, his successor promoted the LON
- His opponent promoted a life before there was war which was more appealing, also he didn’t want to get involved with International Alliances.
What were the aims of the LON?
- Discourage aggression from any nation
- Encourage nations to trade and Co-Operate
- Encourage nation to disarm
- Improve living and working conditions of all parts of the globe
What was Article 10? LON
One of 26 articles/rules which nations in the league were made to follow
What did article 10 read? LON
Members in the league must preserve any external aggression to any other nation in the league, if there are issues the council should be informed and they will provide further steps.
In summary what did article 10 mean?
Collective security preventing war for all nations, regardless of size and power.
Did the USA join the league?
NO
Who were the most powerful countires
Britain and France
Where was the league set up?
Geneva
What was the most powerful part of the league?
Council, most powerful nations
Did the league have an army?
NO, but they called call on nations armies
What was one of the most important job for the league?
Uphold the TOV
Other than GB and FR who were permanent members of the league?
Japan and Italy
Whose support did any nation need for an action/request take place in the league?
Britain and France
How were Britain and France poorly placed to be major powers of the league?
- weak from WW1
- not as much of a Great power as before
- couldn’t fill in the shoes of the USA due to resources
How did the British feel about the US not joining the league?
- If they had known they wouldn’t have joined
- Trade sanctions would only work under US control
- They were the only nation who had the influence or resources to make the league work
What did the French and British leaders believe when the league was made?
They doubted they could make the league affective
What were British priorities when the league was formed?
- rebuild the trade
- Look after their empire
What were French priorities when the league was formed?
- Main concern was Germany
- Worried the league was too weak to protect it as they had no army
- France were ready to bypass the league if nessecary to strengthen its position against Germany
How long were Britain and France in the league for?
1919-1945
Which nations left the league in 1933?
Japan and germany
When did Russia leave the league?
1939
when did Germany join the league?
1926
How were Italy and Japan involved in the League?
As part of the council
When did Italy leave the LON?
1937
How big was the council of the league?
Very small
How often did the council meet?
5 times a year or more incase of emergency
Who were the permanent members of the league?
Japan, Italy, France and Great Britain
How often were nations from the assembly chosen to move into the Council?
Every 3 years.
How many temporary members could there be in the council?
From the time of the league it varied from 4-9 temporary members
What was the main idea behind the council?
To prevent any issues becoming out of hand by a peaceful discussion, however if this did not work there were 3 sanctions the leagues powers could have used
What were the 3 sanctions the council could use to solve an international issue?
- Moral Condemnation- Decide which nation was the aggressor and tell them to stop
- Economic and Financial Sanctions- Members of the league would refuse to trade with the aggressor
- Military Force- Armed forces of member countries could be used against the aggressor
What was the role of the Secretariat in the LON?
-Keep track of league meetings and create reports for agencies of the league
What specialist sections did the Secretariat of the league cover?
- Health
- disarmament
- Economic Matters
What was the International Labour organisation and what were its aims?
- Group of employers, governments and workers who met once a year
- aim was to Improve working conditions over the World
- collected and used statistics to persuade members of the league to adopt to their suggestions
What happened between Poland and Lithuania in 1920 and what was the leagues reaction?
Poland took control of Lithuania’s capital, they claimed to the league.
The league protested to Poland, GB and FR were not prepared to act
What happened between Germany and Poland in 1921, and what was the leagues reaction?
-There was a dispute between the upper silesia region, the league created a vote which saw both countries agree and achieving peace
What happened between Sweden Finland in 1921, and what was the leagues response?
-Both nations were ready to go to war over some islands, the league intervened and outlined the islands belong to Finland. peace was achieved
When was the Corfu crisis?
1923
Who was the Corfu crisis between?
Albania and Greece
What was the Corfu crisis about?
Border dispute between Greece and Albania
Who was sent to observe the issue?
Italian general Tellini
What happened to the Italian general who supervised the issue in Corfu?
he was ambushed and Killed on 27th August
What was Mussolinis reaction to the issue in Corfu 1923?
Furious, blamed the Greek government for the murder
-demanded compensation to be paid to Italy
What did Mussolini demand of the Greek government?
Compensation for tellini’s death
Who murdered Tullini in the Corfu incident?
it was unknown
What physical action did Mussolini plan on Corfu?
-He occupied and bombarded the island and killed 15
What comparison was made between the Corfu crisis and WW1?
WW1 had similar events which began the war to the Corfu incident
How did the league act upon the issue in Corfu?
Condemned Mussolinis actions, suggested Greece paid compensation to the league but it was only passed on to Italy had proof the murdering was by a Greek.
What was Mussolini’s reaction to the leagues action during the Corfu crisis?
-He didn’t let the issue rest and demanded the issue was dealt with the Council of ambassadors rather than the leagues council. this was because he believed the league were not strong enough to deal with the issue
Who were the Council of ambassadors?
A group made by the league to help deal with the vast amounts of issues, they were high powers from the main nations.
-strictly this was not part of the league
What view did the British and french take on the issue?
-neither were ready to get involved as they didn’t agree
- GB- Ready to force Mussolini out of Corfu
- Could have acted alone implementing sanctions or sending naval forces
FR- Backed Italy
What was the outcome of the Corfu crisis?
_Council of ambassadors made the final judgment, Mussolini got away with the issue
-thought the council’s rulings were changed Greeks had to pay compensation and apologise to the italians
What did the Corfu incident show about the league?
-That the league could be undermined by its own members.
Who created the Geneva protocol?
Britain and France
When was the Geneva Protocol made?
1924
What did the Geneva Protocol say?
If 2 nations were in disagreement they would have to request for the league to deal with it, and they must accept the councils decision
What did Britain and France hope would happen from the Geneva Protocol?
The league would be strengthened
What prevented the Geneva protocol from going through?
An election in the UK which saw a conservative Government elected and refused to sign the Geneva Protocol
Why did the new Conservative government in the UK not sign the Geneva protocol?
-he was worried Britain would be forced to agree on something which wasn’t in its own interests