part 2 League of Nations and international peace Flashcards
what was the League of Nations
a group of countries that would work together and solve problems
who initially joined the League of Nations
42 members
who were the members of the council of the league of nations
britain, France, Italy, japan
why could USA not join the League of Nations
the senate refused to agree to it as Americans wanted to isolate themselves from Europe
what were the 4 main aims of the League of Nations
- stop war
- encourage disarmament
- improve working conditions
- tackle disease
where was the league based
Switzerland, as it hadn’t been involved in the war
why didn’t all powerful countries join
russia wasn’t allowed due to growing suspicions about communism, and countries who lost the war weren’t allowed
what treaty allowed Germany to join the league and when
Locarno treaty 1926
what is collective security
if all countries work together they can keep peace at the interest of all the nations
what did the league set up in 1920
International court of justice
how did the covenant set out how the league would deal with aggression
mitigation
moral condemnation
economic sanctions
why couldn’t the league use military sanctions
the league didn’t have their own army
5 areas of the league
the assembly
the council
permanent court of international justice
secretariat
special commissions
what happened if a vote in the assembly did not receive a unanimous result
motion would be passed to the council
what was the assembly
every member could send representatives to the assembly which met once a year to discuss members of the league, how the league’s money was spent and the election of judges in the PCIJ
what was the council
a smaller group which met more frequently, could veto rulings with their vote
who were the 4 permanent members of the council
britain, France, Italy Japan
5 league of nations special commissions
International labour organisation
disarmament commission
health organisation
slavery commission
commission for refugees
3 strengths of the League of Nations
- was written into peace treaties at the end of ww1, so all nations had recognised the organisation
- had a vast membership (42 members)
- due to the membership, economic and moral sanctions were daunting punishments
4 weaknesses of the league of Nations
- as not all important countries (USA) joined, under economic sanctions, countries could still trade
- league had no army, no force
- structure was complicated slowing down action
- decisions had to be unanimous slowing it down
when was the vilna crisis
1920
what was the cause of the vilna crisis
vilna was to be the capital of Lithuania but the majority of the people wanted to be polish, polish army took control of the city
the league’s response to the vilna crisis
told Poland to remove their army, they refused. France and Britain would not send their armies, so Poland took vilna
when was the upper Silesia dispute
1921-1925
what happened during the upper Silesia dispute
upper Silesia was split into regions and given to Germany and Poland according to a plebiscite. Poland was given half the population and only a third of the land, with around half a million polish living in German territory. Germany had lost 3/4 of the coal mines they owned previously. In 1922 they complained and were awarded the right to import coal at a heavily discounted rate. Relations worsened after 1925
when was the Åland Islands crisis
1921
what was the cause of the Åland Islands crisis
Sweden and Finland claimed the islands, threatening war on each other
how did the league react to the Åland Islands crisis
decided the islands should go to Finland, however they weren’t allowed to build forts on the islands, preventing them from being used as a base to attack sweden
when was the corfu crisis
1923
what was the cause of the corfu crisis
Tellini and his team were murdered while surveying an area of Greece whilst deciding on the boundaries of Greece and Albania. Mussolini blamed it on the greek government demanding they should pay compensation. On 31 August Mussolini invaded and occupied corfu killing 15 people.
how did the league react to the corfu crisis
Greece appealed to the league and they condemned Mussolini’s act but agreed that Greece should pay the compensation, awarding the money to Italy after the killers were found. Mussolini complained to the conference of ambassadors, persuading them to undermine the league. Greece was forced to apologise and pay compensation directly to Mussolini
what did the league’s reaction to the corfu crisis show
proved they could easily be ignored and overturned by other international groups
when was the Bulgaria crisis
1925
what was the cause of the Bulgaria crisis
greek soldiers were killed on the Bulgarian border, Greece invaded.