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
Overall what affect did the Geneva protocol have on the league?
-Negative affect as it weakened it.
When did the conflict between Greece and Bulgaria take place?
October 1925
What happened in Bulgaria in 1925 with Greece?
Greece invaded Bulgaria
Why did Greece invade Bulgaria in 1925 ?
There was an incident on the border where Greek soldiers were killed.
How did Bulgaria react to being invaded by Greece in 1925?
Appealed to the league for help
How did the league respond to the incident between Bulgaria and Greece?
Quickly and decisively calling the council for a meeting in Paris
What was the leagues overall judgment on the issue between Greece and Bulgaria?
- Both sides were made to stand their forces down
- Greece were forced to withdraw and pay £45,000 in compensation
- threatened Greece with sanctions if they did not follow their warnings
Where did GB and FR stand within the issue between Bulgaria and Greece?
They solidly backed the leagues judgement
What was the only issue with the leagues decision on the incident in 1925 between Corfu and Greece?
there seemed to be a rule for the larger states and one for the smaller sates like Greece as Italy were able to get away with a similar issue 2 years before
How did the public respond to the leagues decision on the crisis in Bulgaria, 1925?
- Seen as a major success for the league
- people forgot about the Corfu incident
- People were optimistic about the effectiveness of the league
How did the league work for a better World?
-Improving/Helping;
- work conditions
- refugees
- Health
- Transport
- social problems
What did the LON do to help refugees?
- Introduced Nansen passport- Allowed legit refugees to pass borders back to their homelands or re settle in a new country.
- In 1922 war in Turkey, people sent to refugee camps, league prevented disease from spreading around the camps
How many refugees returned home or migrated to a new land via the use of the Nansen passport?
400,000
Why did the league’s effective help with refugees end in 1930?
- Refugee committee was underfunded
- league lost its authority
- International Situation in 1930 got much worse
How did the LON improve working conditions?
- Successfully removed toxic white lead from paint
- Limited the hours small children could work
- Introduced a maximum 48- hour week
Why did the Work committee of the LON decline?
- Lost funding
- They couldn’t sanction nations or organisations, only ‘name and Shame them’
How was the leagues Health organisation successful?
- Collected health information
- Helped developing vaccines to defeat deadly diseases e.g malaria and leprosy
- USSR took advice from the committee despite not being part of the league
What happened to the leagues Health organisation after WW2?
-Due to it’s success the United Nations continued its work
How did the league successfully deal with Social problems?
- Blacklisted 4 European companies involved with drugs
- Freed 200,000 slaves from a British Colonie (sierra Leone)
- Challenged the use of forced labour in Africa to build railway tracks, reduced the death rate by 4%
What was the leagues largest failure in 1920?
-Failed to make other nations disarm, but Germany were made to.
Why was failing to make other nations disarm not major issue for the league in 1920’s?
-A series of International agreements seemed to promise a peaceful world
What was one of the leagues economic success’ in the 1920’s?
European countries were recovering again economically after WW1
How did the league help nations rebuild their economies and reduce tension at the same time?
-Encouraged the nations to trade together, reducing tension making it less likely for conflict to arise (this was one of the league aims (to encourage international relations))
How far did the league succeed in the 1920’s?
- helped many, sick, poor and homeless people
- Stabilised many economies
- Sorted out International disputes
- Countries began collaborating and trading
What was the leagues biggest achievement in the 1920’s
- Countries began collaborating rather than competing
- Both small and large countries sent their reps to the leagues meetings as they were seen as being worthwhile
What was the leagues biggest failure in the 1920’s?
-Failed to make other nations disarm, however many conference’s seemed to promise a peaceful world which counter acted the issue to an extent
What were the 3 events which lead to the failure of the league?
- Manchurian Crisis
- Disarmament conference
- Abyssinian Crisis
What did the League predict if countries did not co-operate economically?
An economic crash
What cause the Worldwide economic crash?
USA- Wall street crash
what was the USAs impact on the World prior to WSC ?
They drove the Worlds economy
Lent money to other nations
Richest in the world
How did the WSC affect the world?
- Caused economic problems across the globe as the US banks lent money to many nations
- Affected International relations
- Affected countries political decisions
What happened to the optimism of the league and the World in the late 1920’s?
It evaporated due to the Wall Street Crash
What was the effect of the WSC in the 1930’s?
- Business went bust World wide as US loans dried up
- Countries began re-arming to reduce unemployment-
- Surrounding countries feared the rearmament and began re arming themselves
- Business’ tried to implement tariffs to protect their industries, as did suppliers making prices higher leading to more unemployment
What was USA’s reaction to the depression in relation to the league?
Unwilling to prevent invasions between nations as it would strain their awful economy even more
What was Japans response to the Depression?
- Main income was from Silk exports to the US, they began to buy less, making them poor.
- Decided to build an empire around them for the materials they needed
What was Germany’s response to the Depression?
- large amounts of poverty, unemployment and chaos could not be dealt with by the government
- Elected Hitler who was not good for International peace and openly said he planned to invade neighbours
What was GB’s response to the depression?
-They became unwilling to help any international disputes as their economy would be affected, though they were a leader of the league
What was Italy’s response to the depression?
-decided to build an empire overseas to distract attention from government issues
What was happening to Japans population and accordingly as a nation?
- Grown massively over 20 years
- Became a major power with powerful military, strong industries and growing empire
Who was Japan lead by during 1930’s?
The military
What happened to Japan after the depression?
- China and USA put up tariffs on Japanese goods
- Economy was affected very badly and became weak
What was Japan’s response to the depression in order to rebuild their economy?
-Decided to invade surrounding nation to build an empire for materials and things they needed to re build their economy
What major invasion took place between 1931-1933?
Manchurian crisis
When did the First invasion to Manchuria take place?
1931
What happened in the first Manchurian invasion?
- Japanese army controlled a railway in Manchuria
- Chinese troops allegedly attacked the railway
- an excuse to invade, so Japanese forces were sent to Manchuria to set up a government to control the area
What was China’s response to the first invasion in Manchuria?
Appealed to the league
What did Japan argue to China’s appeal? (manchurian crisis)
-It was an act of self defence
What did the league’s first investigation conclude?
-Japan had acted unlawfully, Manchuria should be returned to China
When did the leagues First investigation of the Manchuria crisis take place?
1 year after the events, so 1932 October
When did Japan announce they will continue invading China rather than withdrawing?
February 1933
Why did Japan plan to invade again rather than withdrawing?
Because it was necessary in self-defence
How did the league respond to Japans second invasion and what was the outcome?
-Set up a vote by the assembly, the leagues report was accepted
Why did Japan leave the league?
Their issue in Manchuria was countered against them by the whole assembly
What did Japan do after leaving the league?
Invade Jehol
Why was the league powerless during the Manchuria crisis ?
- they couldn’t implement economic sanctions due to the depression
- GB preferred to keep good relations with Japan than implement sanctions
- no countries agreed with their trade bans
- GB and FR did not want to risk their navies or army for war
What were the leagues excuses for their failure in Manchuria?
- japan was very far away
- Japan was a special case
What was the significance of the Manchurian crisis?
- Proved the league was weak and inefective
- Large nations could get away extreme actions
- Hitler and Mussolini gained influence and carried out similar actions 3 years later
Why did Pressure for the league to enforce disarmament increase in the 1930’s?
- Germans had been angry for 12 years they were the only nation made to disarm
- Countries were spending more re arming, than they spent on their army prior to ww1
What was the cause of the disarmament conference?
Manchurian crisis-league members realised the urgency of the problem
What was agreed at the disarmament conference?
After 4 months they agreed to -
- Prohibit civilian bombing
- Limit size of artillery
- Limit tonnage of tanks
Why was the disarmament conference almost pointless?
no measures were taken to enforce the agreed plans
e.g. Civilian bombing was banned, but the abolition of armed planes was denied
How did the leagues members feel about Germany and the TOV in 1932?
-Germany should be treated more equally under the TOV
What was the major question about Germany’s armed forces in 1932? (re arming)
-Not sure whether nations should disarm to Germanys level or Germany re arm to their level, the league showed reluctance for Germany to re arm to their level
Why did Germany leave the Disarmament conference in July 1932?
Conference failed to achieve equality
What did GB send to Germany in September 1932, and what was their response?
Gb sent a note ensuring equality, Germany declined the note due to the superior tone it was written in by GB
When was equality achieved with Germany?
December 1932
When did Germany re-join the conference?
January 1933
what did Hitler immediately do when he became Chancellor in February 1933?
Re-arm secretly
When did Hitler withdraw from the Disarmament conference and the league?
October 1933
How long did the disarmament run for after Germany left?
- 1year, it was weak an countries just continued re-arming
What were the reasons for the failure of the Disarmament conference?
- Nations were not serious about disarming
- Main powers of the league did not agree, Britain and France were divided on the issue
- Countries looked after themselves and ignored the league
What ddi Great Britain agree with Germany without informing the allies?
They agreed Germany could re arm their navy in 1935, only to 35% of the size of the British navy
When did Italy invade first Abyssinia?
1935
What were similarities between Italy and Japan in relations to the Abyssinan and Macnhurian invasions?
- Both leading members of the league
- Both wanted to expand their empries
Why did Mussolini want to invade Abyssinia?
- Wanted revenge from a failed invasion 1896
- Wanted to expand his empire
- Wanted their fertile land and minerals
When was the first dispute between Italy and Abyssinia and what happened ? (excluding 1896)
December 1934, dispute between both nations armies, Mussolini claimed it was his territory
What was the Abyssinian governments response to the first issue in 1934?
Appealed to the league
What was Mussolini doing whilst the league were settling the dispute? (phase 1)
- Shipping his army to Africa
- getting the nation ready for war
What were GB and FR’s first thoughts and why did they not take action?
- They couldn’t take the situation seriously
- they wanted to keep good relations with Italy as they were one of the only nations able to take down Hitler
What did France, GB and Italy all sign in 1935?
Stresa Pact against Germany,formal statement against German rearmament, and they would stand united against Germany
What was the outcome of the leagues vote on the Abyssinian crisis in Britain/
People were happy for Military action to be used to keep Abyssinia safe if required
what did the British Foreign Minister do as a result of the AByssinian ?
-Did a speech to please smaller nations, which was about collective security
What did the league do in response to the Abyssinian?
- Said no country was to blame for the crisis
- Made a plan which said Mussolini could have some of the land, he rejected it
- They did not discourage Italy
When did Mussolini launch his second attack?
October 1935
What was the outcome of the second Abyssinian invasion?
-Italy rampaged into the nation and easily won
What was the leagues response to the second Abyssinian invasion?
- Set up a committee instantly
- responses were slow and delayed
- banned Italian imports, exports, loans and armed sales
How were Britain affected the the sanctions placed on Italy as a result of the Abyssinian crisis?
-30,000 coalminers were going to loose their jobs as a result of Italian not being able to import anything
What was not closed which could have ended the Abyssinian crisis?
Suez canal owned by the allies, Italy’s only route to Abyssinian
why did the allies not close the Suez canal?
-they feared the Italians would become enraged and it could have started another war
What was Mussolini’s reaction to the leagues sanctions? (phase 2)
-Called of their attack
What did the Hoare-Laval pact aim to do?
Give Mussolini 2/3 of Abyssinian for calling off his attack
When was the Hoare-laval pact first negotiated?
December 1935
Which nations was the Abyssinian crisis between?
Italy and Ethiopia
What did Laval propose to do prior to showing the plan to the league?
Show Mussolini the Hoare-Laval plan
What did Laval tell GB and what was the impact of that?
Told them that Italy did not agree, Therefore France no longer supported sanctions against Italy
What was leaked to the French press?
The terms of the Hoare Laval pact and the nations response to not supporting sanctions against Italy
How did the leak of the Hoare Laval pact affect the league?
It was disastourous as they did not know about it
What happened to Hoare and Laval after the plan was leaked?
they were sacked
What did the committee conclude about what would happen to Italy in Febuary 1936?
-If oil did not stop being sold to Italy then the Italian supplies would be exhausted for 2 months
How did nations react to Italy’s oil trade ban?
They sold even more oil to Italy
Why were all the sanctions and terms of the Hoare Laval pact ineffective?
Italy had already taken over most of Abyssinia
What were the outcomes of the Abyssinian crisis?
- Hitler marched his troops into the Rhineland, against the TOV which was enforced by the league
- The French needed the support of Italy against Germany so they allowed Italy to take Abyssinia
- Italy continued to defy the leagues orders
What was the Abyssinian crisis an implication of the the league?
- it had failed
- Collective security was an empty promise
What did Germany and Italy sign after the Abyssinian crisis ?
Rome-Berlin axis a peace/unity agreement
What did GB and France think that the way they dealt with the Abyssinian crisis would do?
-help strengthen their position against Hitler, but it was not true as Mussolinni partnered up with Hitler just months after
