Peace and Security Flashcards
What were the ambitions of Germany in Europe?
- Revision of the Treaty of Versailles- revoke and build up military strength to dominate Europe
- Anschluss- Annexation of Austria in 1938- Austria & Germany united next day- both actions forbidden by the Treaty
- Establishment of a new German/Aryan empire- virulent antisemitism and the pursuit of a greater pan-German state to unify all ethnic Germans
- Create Lebensraum (living space) for the German people through expansion.
- Self-efficient economy ready to fight war= Wehrwintschaft or ‘defence-based economy’
Identify Germany’s actions that went directly against the Treaty of Versailles.
- Conscription reintroduced in 1935 (led to more than the allowable 100,000)
- Troops marched into the Rhineland in 1936
- Anschluss- Annexation of Austria in 1938- Austria & Germany united next day
- Military spending 17% (1938)- 23% (1939)
- Invasion of Czechoslovakia (1938) & Poland (1939)
- 1933 Germany began a process of rearmament
Identify key expansionist examples of Germany in 1940-1941
- Blitzkrieg = Conquest of Denmark, Norway,Luxembourg, Belgium, theNetherlands, and France, all of which were under German rule by the early summer of 1940.
- April 1941 Yugoslavia & Greece also
Under German control
Identify the expansionist reasons & aims of Japan.
- Remove Western influences
- Aimed to acquire new territories bc they had a growing population & limited resources
- Japan had controlled Korea since 1905 but sought to add Manchuria- began a war of conquest with China in 1937
- Wanted to be self-sufficient, no longer rely on British Malaya for rubber and USA for oil to run their industries
- Invaded Malaya from December 8, 1941 and remained there until the end of WWII
What were the aims of the League of Nations in practice?
- Created to deal with international peace & security (1919) “permanent system of general security’
- Preventing war was its main task
- Promoting good relations between nations and respect for international law & treaties, key aim
- Covenant consisted of 26 articles and how its aims were to be carried out
Identify some of the successes of the League of Nations
- With the League’s help over 400 000 prisoners of war were returned home
- The slavery Commission brought about the freeing of over 200 000 slaves in British-owned Sierra-Leone and organised raids against slave owners and traders in Burma
- The Health Committee worked hard to defeat leprosy and malaria. It later became the World Health Organisation
- Sweden accepted the League’s decision to give the Aaland islands to Finland. The two countries thereby avoided going to war for them
- The League divided Upper Silesia between Germany and Poland after a plebiscite showed a clear divide. Both countries accepted this decision.
Describe the impact of the Wall Street crash on the League of Nations
- Many members of the League were now focussed on solving domestic problems.
- The crash created a depression in Europe causing unemployment and poverty. Dictators rose to power as they promised a solution to problems. These were new problems for the League to face
- Had a major effect on Japan who relied heavily on international trade. This would eventually contribute towards the invasion of Manchuria
Identify three events that demonstrate the failings of the League of Nations.
The Japanese invasion of Manchuria
The failure of the disarmament conference
The invasion of Abyssinia by Italy
Summarise why the L of N failed to solve the Manchurian Crisis
- Japan was too far away
- The League were worried about offending Japan who was an important member of the League
- Britain and France were more concerned about the problems resulting from the depression in their own countries
- Russia, the only country with troops and resources enough to combat the problem quickly in the region, was not a member of the League
Identify 6 key reasons why the L of N’s failed
- Self-interest
- Absence of important countries including America, Germany & Russia
- No troops
- Inequality of the Treaty of Versailles that it was meant to protect
- Decision-making was slow and indecisive
- Sanctions were ineffective.
Identify the intentions of the United Nations
Promote world peace and security
Protect human rights
Preserve international law
Promote social and economic progress
Provide a global forum for negotiation and arbitration
Sustain internationalist ideals established with the League of Nations
Identify two key issues that highlight the League of Nation’s lack of authority.
- Doesn’t have its own military force- reliant of members’ forces
- International Court of Justice- cannot enforce decisions- reliant on member states’ good will
Identify three areas of success the UN has had up until 1946
- Has had success in maintaining some global security
Establishment of a Commission to Deal with the Problems Raised by the Discovery of Atomic Energy, A/RES/1(I) - On 24 January 1946, the General Assembly adopts its first resolution, entitled “Establishment of a Commission to Deal with the Problems Raised by the Discovery of Atomic Energy” in London.
- At the dawn of the atomic age, the 51 members of the newly-formed United Nations make it the first order of business to address the role for peaceful uses of nuclear energy and the elimination of atomic weapons.
Led to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 1957
