Part 2 : the League of Nations and International Peace Flashcards
where did the idea of the formation of the league of nations come from?
one of wilson’s fourteen points
what were the league’s aims?
- to get countries to collaborate to help to prevent war
- encourage disarmament
- improve living and working conditions
- tackle deadly diseases
what was collective security?
to get countries to collaborate to help to prevent war
where was the league written into?
each of the treaties signed at the end of the war
why was the league written into the treaties signed at the end of WW1?
to make people recognise and respect it
how many countries initially joined the league of nations?
42
who wasn’t allowed to join the league of nations?
- the countries who lost WW1 including germany
- russia because it was communist
- the USA refused to join
how did membership of the league of nations change over time?
- germany joined the league after agreeing the locarno treaties in 1925
- russia was allowed to join in 1934
how many member states were there in the league of nations by 1934?
58
what did each state of the league of nations send?
representatives to the assembly
what did the representatives in the assembly have to do?
agree unanimously on an issue before action was taken
who were the permanent members of the council ?
- britain
- france
- italy
- japan
although britain supported the league…
it felt action would be limited
france thought the league…
would help keep it safe from german attack
what did the league set up in 1920?
the permanent court of international justice
what could the permanent court of international justice do?
advise on arguments but could not forcefully back up verdicts
how could the league of nations deal with agression?
through the convenant
what did the convenant include?
- mitigation
- moral condemnation
- economic sanctions
- military force
mnemonic to remember how the league would deal with issues
- the four M’s
- mitigation
- moral condemnation
- money
- military
why were the sanctions intimidating?
because the league included many powerful countries
the fact that the league did not have an army of its own meant that…
to enforce its decisions it relied on its members to provide a force
what were the five structures of the league?
- the assembly
- the council
- the permanent court of international justice
- the secretariat
- special commissions
what was the assembly?
- an international parliament
- each member state sent a representative to meet once a year
- they would vote on issues and decisions had to be unanimous
what was the council?
- met more frequently than the assembly
- 4 permanent members : B,F,I+J
- 4 temporary countries that were elected to sit on the council for three years
- the council could VETO rulings made by the assembly
what was the permanent court of international justice?
- an international court of law
- could give hearings and advise the parties involved in an argument but rulings were not compulsory so could be easily ignored
what was the secretariat?
in charge of administration and arranging any action that the league wanted to take
what were special commissions?
special groups formed to tackle specific issues such as the international labour organisation and the health organisation
the league wasn’t only set up to help prevent future conflict but also…
used its special agencies and organisations to tackle social and economic issues
state the 7 special agencies and organisations
- international labour organisation
- commission for refugees
- slavery commission
- economic and financial committee
- the organisation for communications and transport
- health organisation
- permanent central opium board which became the permanent central narcotics board after 1925
mnemonic to remember the special committees
- labour - LAZY
- refugees - REPORTERS
- slavery - SAVE
- economic and financial - EAGLES FROM
- communications + transport - CT scans
- health - HELPING
- opium - OTHERS
the international labour organisation
- ILO
- aim to improve working conditions
how did the ILO succeed?
in the 1920s, the death rate of workers on the Tanganyika railway reduced from over 50% to 4%
how did the ILO fail?
in 1919, most members refused to stop children under the age of 14 from working as it would be too expensive
the commission for refugees
aimed to help people who had lost their homes because of war, by improving refugee camps and helping them to return home or finding new homes
how did the commission for refugees succeed?
helped free 427,000 of the 500,000 prisoners of war still imprisoned after the first world war
how did the commission for refugees fail?
during the 1930s, failed to help Jews trying to flee Nazi Germany
the slavery commission
aim to end slavery
successes of the slavery commission
during the 1920s the league set free 200,000 slaves from sierra leone
the economic and financial committee
aimed to improve living conditions
the successes of the economic and financial committee
sent financial advisers to austria and hungary to rebuild their economies when they went bankrupt in 1921
the failures of the economic and financial committee
they were unable to cope with global depression after 1929
the organisation for communications and transport
aimed to improve how countries worked together
successes of the organisation for communications and transport
introduced shipping lanes and an international highway code
the health organisation
aimed to cure diseases
successes of the health organisation
sent doctors to help in turkish refugee camps and is still present to this date (WHO)
the permanent central opium board
aimed to tackle the trade of illegal drugs
successes of the central opium board
blacklisted four large companies involved in trading drugs illegally
failures of the central opium board
some countries in the league did not want to stop the trade of opium as they made so much money from it
name the disputes which the league of nations had to solve during the 1920s
- vilna - 1920-21
- aaland islands - 1921
- upper silesa - 1921-25
- corfu - 1923
- bulgaria - 1925
was vilna a failure or a success?
a failure
describe the vilna dispute.
- vilna was the capital of lithuania
- many polish people living there
- polish army invaded
- lithuania asked league for help
what did the league do in response to the vilna dispute between 1920 and 1921?
nothing because poland was a strong ally against germany
what was lithuania?
a new country
was the dispute of the aaland islands a success or a failure?
a success
describe the aaland islands dispute of 1921?
- sweden and finland both claimed the Aaland islands
- league gave the islands to finland but forbid the building of forts on them
- both countries accepted the decision
was the upper silesia conflict between 1921-25 a success or a failure?
both
describe the upper silesia conflict.
- 1921-25
- plebiscite held to determine whether upper silesia should be german or polish
- germany won 60% of the vote but poland claimed that this had been fixed
- league split upper silesa into two according to how they voted
after the split of upper silesia had been decided, why were both countries still unhappy?
germany complained that poland got most of the industrial areas and poland complained that they had around half the population but only 1/3 of the land however both grudgingly accepted
where was upper silesia?
on the germany-poland border
was the corfu dispute of 1923 a success or a failure?
failure
describe the corfu dispute of 1923.
- an italian general and his team murdered whilst surveying land in greece
- mussolini demanded compensation and for the murderers to be executed
- greece couldn’t do this
- mussolini invaded corfu
why couldn’t greece give compensation and execute the murderers?
because they did not know who did it
what did the league do in response to the invasion of corfu?
they condemned mussolini, however he undermined them by complaining to the conference of ambassadors and so greece was forced to apologise and pay compensation
through the corfu dispute, what did mussolini prove?
that the league couldn’t enforce justice when the country involved was a larger, stronger country and the league could be ignored or bullied by strong countries
was the bulgaria dispute of 1925 a success or a failure?
both
describe the bulgaria dispute of 1925.
- greece invaded bulgaria when greek soldiers were killed on the border
- league forced greece to withdraw and pay compensation
how was the league presented as hypocritical in the 1920s?
- the league’s actions in dealing with bulgaria seemed hypocritical since the league allowed mussolini a much more powerful leader to get away with something very similar in corfu
state the international agreements of the 1920s.
- locarno treaties 1925
- kellogg-briand pact 1928
- washington arms conference 1921-22
- rapallo treaty 1922
who was involved with the locarno treaties?
france and germany, represented by their foreign ministers briand and stresemann
when were the locarno treaties?
1925
where were the locarno treaties signed?
locarno in switzerland
what were the locarno treaties?
- two enemies (G+F) agreed to work together peacefully
- germany accepted the terms of the treaty of versailles
- other countries such as britain and italy had also signed and each country agreed not to go to war with each other - if one country broke the treaties the others would support the country that was invaded
why wasn’t the league involved with the locarno treaties?
germany suggested the treaties and it was not a part of the league
why were the locarno treaties significant?
- seemed as if G was accepting the tofv and trying to become a peaceful nation
- relationships between the countries, especially between F+G improved which paved the way of G allowed into the league of nations
why should have the league led the locarno treaties?
it was an important agreement and it involved two of the league’s most powerful members, britain and france
who was involved in the kellogg-briand pact of 1928?
65 countries including germany, france and the USA
when was the kellogg-briand pact signed?
1928
what was the kellogg-briand pact?
- the countries agreed war would not be used to solve disputes between them
why wasn’t the league of nations involved with the kellogg-briand pact?
germany and the USA weren’t members
why should have the league led the kellogg-briand pact?
the fact that the league was not involved made it look like it was a place to talk, not for actual solutions, which damaged its reputation
when was the washington arms conference?
1921-22
who was involved in the washington arms conference?
britain, USA, japan and france
what was the washington arms conference?
where major countries like britain, USA, japan and france agreed the maximum size of their navies
why should have the league been involved with the washington arms conference of 1921-22?
the league was not the one pushing for disarmament and countries like B+F attended independently of the league
when was the rapallo treaty?
1922
what was the rapallo treaty?
germany and russia agreed to work together
why was the league of nations not involved in the rapallo treaty?
germany and russia were not members
the league of nations in the 1930s
failed to act against the aggressiveness of Japan, Italy and Germany
what happened in 1929?
- the Wall Street crash
- started the great depression
how did the great depression affect japan?
- greatly
- its main export was silk, a luxury item that many couldn’t afford during the depression
the decline of japan’s silk export meant that….
japan became more militaristic, so the government looked for land to invade, thinking it would give them more natural resources, such as manchuria
why was manchuria an ideal place to invade?
- rich in natural resources
- japan already had industry and a railway there
when was the mukden incident?
18th september 1931
describe the mukden incident.
- 18th september 1931
- explosion occurred in the Japanese-owned south manchurian railway
- japan blamed china but the chinese denied that they were involved
- february 1932 - the Japanese government
what is a puppet leader?
a leader japan could control
how were the league of nations involved in the mukden incident?
- china appealed to the league
why were the league of nations reluctant to act in the mukden incident?
because japan was one of its leading members and manchuria was far from europe, where the league was based
what were the league’s earlier reactions to the mukden incident?
they issued a moral condemnation
did japan listen to the league of nations?
- they ignored the league
- there was very little the league could do without its own army and its members didn’t want to send their own army
- economic sanctions would be useless as japan’s main trade partner, the USA, was not a part of the league
how did the league’s structure make them useless in the mukden incident?
- there was very little the league could do without its own army and its members didn’t want to send their own army
how did the absence of the USA make them useless in the mukden incident?
- economic sanctions would be useless as japan’s main trade partner, the USA, was not a part of the league
what action did the league take, later on, in the mukden incident?
- league sent british politician lord lytton to investigate
how long did lord lytton take to write his report?
6 months, it was published in october 1932, by which time japan had already invaded manchuria
when did the league of nations send lord lytton to investigate the mukden incident?
april 1932
what did lytton’s report conclude?
that japan was in the wrong
japan’s reactions to the lytton report
japan ignored it, left the league and went on to occupy more chinese territory from 1933 to 1937
consequences of the mukden incident on the league of nations
- one of the league’s own members had ignored its moral condemnation and instructions to withdraw
- without an army of its own, the league was powerless
- other militaristic countries like italy and germany saw how powerless the league of nations really was
did everyone lose faith in the league after the manchurian crisis?
no, most people continued to have faith in the league because they thought that if a similar event happened in europe then the league would be able to deal with it
how did the league’s lytton report fail?
took too long, by the time it was finished, japan was in control of manchuria
how did the depression ensure the league’s failure in manchuria?
- the depression was already damaging world trade and league members were unwilling to impose economic sanctions
- meant that the league’s structure failed
- USA’s trade with Japan no longer mattered because all world trade was damaged
how did the location of the manchurian incident play a factor in the league’s failure?
asia was far away and not viewed as vital to the countries in europe and as a result, they did not want to commit resources to dealing with the issues there
why were countries unwilling to take military action in the manchurian crisis?
it would be expensive and unpopular with the public because, due to the depression, they had their own domestic problems to take care of
what crisis did the league have to deal with in 1935?
the abyssinian crisis
where was abyssinia?
in africa
why did mussolini want to invade abyssinia?
- to rebuild the roman empire by invading other countries
- natural resources in abyssinia
- revenge from humiliation in abyssinia in 1896
- confidence the league wouldn’t stop him
- implications of the stresa front
why would abyssinia’s natural resources prove useful to italy?
the depression
what previous history was there between abyssinia and italy?
- 1896
- italy had tried to invade abyssinia and was humiliated when this poor country defeated them and mussolini wanted revenge
why was mussolini confident that the league wouldn’t stop him in his invasion of abyssinia?
they had backed down to him before during the corfu crisis in 1923 `
how did the signing of the stresa front prove useful to mussolini in his invasion of abyssinia?
- signed in 1935
- britain and france signed an agreement with italy to form the stresa front
- mussolini did not think britain or france would endanger this new agreement by trying to stop him in abyssinia
december 1934 of the abyssinian crisis
italian troops clashed with abyssinians at Wal Wal and the league failed to stop mussolini, who was intent on war
january 1935 of the abyssinian crisis
the french foreign minister, pierre laval, made a secret agreement with italy that mussolini could deal with abyssinia however he wanted and france would not intervene
october 1935 of the abyssinian crisis
italian troops entered abyssinia and the league condemned the invasion but mussolini ignored them and even used chemical weapons
december 1935 of the abyssinian crisis
the hoare-laval pact - a secret agreement between british and french foreign ministers o give mussolini land in abyssinia
5 may 1936 of the abyssinian crisis
italian troops entered the capital, Addis Ababa
30 june 1936 of the abyssinian crisis
the abyssinian emperor, haile selassie, addressed the league, but the league still did nothing
september 1937 of the abyssinian crisis
italy left the league of nations
how did the inaction of the league cause its failure in the abyssinian crisis?
britain and france didn’t close the suez canal, which would have made it difficult for mussolini to get troops to abyssinia because they didn’t want to upset mussolini
how did the league’s trade sanctions against italy cause its failure in the abyssinian crisis?
when trade sanctions were imposed against italy, the league failed to ban steel, oil and coal as it felt this would damage their member’s economies, however these were resources that mussolini needed for the invasion - self-interest of the league
what did the league ban to abyssinia which caused its failure in the abyssinian crisis?
the league banned sales of arms to abyssinia, which left them defenceless
how did the hoare-laval pact of december 1935 cause the league’s failure in the abyssinian crisis?
- the hoare-laval pact was a secret agreement suggested by the british and french foreign ministers
- they wanted to give mussolini land in abyssnia
- pact was leaked by the press and there was public outcry
- leading members had proven they were willing to undermine the league for their own self-interest
the abyssinian crisis’ consequences for the league
- britain and france showed that they cared more about their own interests
- small countries knew the league could and would do nothing to protect them
- from this time onwards, almost no one regarded the league as a serious or powerful organisation
state the five factors as to why the league collapsed.
- the depression
- the league was powerless without an army
- economic sanctions did not work
- the league lacked important world powers such as the USA, the USSR and Germany
- britain and france dominated the league (their self-interest)
evidence of the depression’s role in the collapse of the league from the manchurian crisis
- japan’s main export was silk, a luxury item that people didn’t buy during the depression, so the japanese economy crashed
- japan wanted to invade manchuria because it was rich in natural resources
- the government in japan was not popular, and seizing land in manchuria made the government appear strong and the victories against the chinese took people’s mind off the depression
evidence of the depression’s role in the collapse of the league from the abyssinian crisis
- mussolini came to power promising to rebuild the roman empire, and so invading abyssinia was a distraction from what was going wrong in italy
- britain failed to inflict effective trade sanctions on italy and they were worried that banning the trade of coal would lead to further unemployment in britain
- there were lots of natural resources in abyssinia
evidence of the absence of the army’s role in the collapse of the league from the manchurian crisis
when japan ignored the league’s warnings there was nothing the league could do
evidence of the absence of the army’s role in the collapse of the league from the abyssinian crisis
mussolini used chemical weapons on the abyssinians, who were left defenceless by the league
evidence of the failure of economic sanction’s role in the collapse of the league from the manchurian crisis
many members felt that as the USA was japan’s main trade partner, economic sanctions would not have a major impact and therefore no sanctions were imposed on japan
evidence of the failure of economic sanction’s role in the collapse of the league from the abyssinian crisis
- the league banned the sale of weapons to abyssinia as well as italy which left the army with only basic weapons
- france and britain failed to ban goods that italy would need to invade, such as coal and oil
evidence of the absence of important world powers contributing to the league’s collapse from the manchurian crisis
- many european powers felt that manchuria was too far away to deal with
- as USA was not a member of the league, japan would not lose its main trade partner if the league imposed economic sanctions
evidence of the absence of important world powers contributing to the league’s collapse from the abyssinian crisis
britain and france wanted to keep mussolini on their side as they saw him as an ally against hitler
evidence of the self-interest and dominance of britain and france contributing to the league’s collapse from the manchurian crisis
- the dominating countries of the league were based in europe and were reluctant to get involved in a matter so far away
- britain sent lord lytton to investigate for the league but he took too long - his report took too many months to write by which time japan had completed its invasion
- as one of the dominating forces of the league, britain had failed to act with enough speed which made japan’s invasion easier
evidence of the self-interest and dominance of britain and france contributing to the league’s collapse from the abyssinian crisis
- britain and france both had huge empires in africa, so mussolini felt they could not object to him taking colonies there too
- britain and france failed to close the suez canal which could have halted his invasion
- mussolini was seen as an ally against hitler, so britain and france proposed the hoare-laval pact which undermined the league
what happened in october 1929?
the US economy crashed
why was it a global depression?
the US had lent money to many countries during WW1 and to help them rebuild after the war
what did the depression bring with it?
vast unemployment, homelessness and starvation on a global scale
in these desperate times….
people started to lose confidence in their governments and to demand change
how did the depression lead to the rise of extremist parties and dictators?
- people started to lose confidence in their governments and to demand change
- many were won over by the promises of dictators such as hitler who came to power in 1933
what did hitler vow to do?
to make germany great again by invading other countries which he promised would end the depression by providing employment in weapons factories and the army
examples of the rise of dictator figures in the desperation caused by the depression
- japan - the army took over the country
- stalin controlled the USSR
- mussolini was dictator in italy
how did the depression cause the loss of support towards the league of nations?
- people turned to extremism and militarism in the hope of rebuilding their countries’ economies and this meant that these countries were less likely to support the league’s aims of cooperation and peace
- e.g. hitler stormed out of the league’s disarmament conference in 1933
were the dictator figures afraid of the league?
- hitler and mussolini promised glory for their countries by waging war
- they weren’t afraid of the league’s moral condemnation and governments could not impose trade sanctions as their economies were weak due to the depression and they couldn’t afford to lose deals
the only action hitler and mussolini could not have ignored…
was sending in army, but of course the league did not have armed forces of its own and other countries could not afford to lend theirs in this time of the depression
in this climate…
war had become more and more likely and the League was powerless to stop it
