The League of Nations and its Collapse Flashcards
What was the League of Nations?
An international peace-keeping organisation.
What were the 4 aims that countries involved would work together to achieve?
-To stop war from breaking out
-To encourage disarmament
-To improve working conditions
-To tackle deadly diseases
How many members were there when it first founded?
42
How many members did the League of Nations rise to and by when?
It rose to 58 members by 1934
Who were the 4 permanent members of the council?
Britain, France, Italy and Japan.
Why was the USA not in the League of Nations?
The senate refused to agree.
Where was the League based?
In Geneva, Switzerland. It had not been involved in the war so was seen as a peaceful country.
What other key international organisation was also based here in Switzerland?
The Red Cross
Why was Russia, despite being a very powerful country, not allowed to join the League of Nations?
Britain and France were suspicious of the new Communist government in Russia, so they weren’t allowed to join.
What other group of countries were not allowed to join the League of Nations?
The countries who had lost the war could not join.
What agreement, and when, allowed Germany to join the League?
The Locarno Treaty in 1926.
Why did Germany leave the League soon after joining?
Once Hitler came to power, he took Germany out of the League.
Why did both Japan and Italy leave the League?
After they both invaded other countries in the 1930s.
When and what did Lloyd George issue which said he completely supported the League?
On the 25 March 1919 he issued the Fountainebleau Memorandum.
It was thought that the League could work through what?
Collective security; the idea that if all countries worked together they could make sure that peace was kept and that the interests of every nations were looked after.
What was the Permanent Court of International Justice?
The league set up an international court that would establish international laws.
What were 3 ways the Covenant set out how the League would deal with aggression?
-Mitigation
-Moral condemnation
-Economic sanctions
What was mitigation?
Getting countries together to talk through problems
What was moral condemnation?
To tell someone that they were in the wrong.
What were the economic sanctions like that the League enforced?
Members of the League would not trade with the warring countries.
Did the League have its own army?
No, as it was a peaceful organisation.
What was the League’s Assembly?
Every member could send representatives to the Assembly, which met once a year on the first Monday of September.
How were votes passed in the Assembly?
The decisions had to be unanimous (where everyone agrees)
What 4 things were the League’s Assembly in charge of?
-Deciding when a new country could join
-The election of judges to the Permanent Court of International Justice
-Voting the non-permanent members of the council
-Deciding how the League’s money was to be spent
What was the League’s Council?
The Council met more frequently than the Assembly to react quicker to emergencies and keep the League running smoothly. There were the 4 permanent members (Britain, France, Italy and Japan) with 4 other countries that would be chosen to sit on the council, each for a 3 year term.