To What Extent Was The League A Success? Flashcards
Aims of the league
To discourage aggression from any nation.
To encourage countries to co-operate, especially in business and trade.
To encourage nations disarm.
To improve the living and working conditions of people in all parts of the world.
Covenant of the league
Chosen by Wilson, the name described the constitution or charter of the League of Nations. It comprised 26 articles which laid out the structure, rules, procedures, and functions of the league.
Collective Security
Acting together, the members of the league could prevent war by defending the lands and interests of all nations.
The three steps planned to enforce it were:
Moral disapproval
Economic sanctions
Military sanctions
Moral disapproval
If a country shows aggression, the council would meet and vote to condemn the action.
Economic sanctions
If moral disapproval failed then they would impose economic sanctions on the aggressor - trade boycotts and protests.
Military Sanction
If economic sanctions failed, as a last resort, the council would use military actions.
This might be sending an army to help the victim of the aggression.
The council
It was smaller than the Assembly and met about 5 times a year. In 1920, the permanent members were Britain, France, Italy and Japan until 1926 when Germany joined.
The temporary members were elected by the Assembly for three year periods. No. Of temporary members increased from 4 in 1920 to 11 in 1936.
Each permanent member had a veto - decisions had to be unanimous.
The main aim was resolving disputes by talking. If this didn’t work they would enforce collective security.
The Assembly
The League’s parliament.
Every country sent a representative.
They could recommend actions to the Council.
They could vote in admitting new members to the league.
They met once a year.
Decisions had to be unanimous.
They considered matters of general policy and controlled the league’s budget.
They elected the non-permanent members of the council.
The Secretariat
A civil service serving all other bodies within the league.
Kept records of the League.
Brought experts together from across the world on key issues like health, disarmament.
Performed all the administrative and financial work:
Organizing conferences, distributing agendas, monitoring budgets, publishing reports, etc.
The Permanent Court of International Justice
Based at The Hague, Netherlands and was made up of judges from the member countries.
Settled disputes between countries peacefully.
If asked, the court would give a decision on a border dispute between countries.
Did not know if the countries were following its ruling.
Offered an arbitration service to countries is dispute.
Provided legal advice to the council.
Staffed by 11 judges and 4 deputy judges elected for 9 years by the council and the Assembly.
The International Labour Organization (ILO)
Brought together employers, governments, and workers’ representatives.
Aim was to improve the conditions of working people throughout the world.
It collected statistics and information about working conditions and how to improve them.
They tried to persuade member countries to adopt its suggestions.
Many countries, such as Britain, did not implement their suggestions.
Based in Geneva.
The League of Nations commissions
The League also attempted to tackle other major problems besides disputes using agencies. The Mandates Commissions The refugees commissions The slavery commission The health committee The Danzig Commission Minorities Commissions Intellectual Cooperation commissions Special Committee for Drug Traffic Disarmament Commission Economic and Financial Organization
The Mandates Commission
Former colonies of Germany and her allies were mandated by the LoN (Britain, France)
It was made up of teams of expert advisers who reported back to the League on how people in the mandates were being treated. Their aim was to make sure that Britain and France acted in the interests of the people of that territory, not its own interests.
The Refugee Committee
Hundred of thousands of refugees had fled from areas of conflict after WW1. Some tried getting back home; others had no home to go to.
The most pressing problems were in former Russian territories: The Balkans, Greece, Armenia and Turkey.
250,000 Russians in German or French camps. 300,000 Germans a Austro-Hungarians in Soviet Russia and a million Greeks were made homeless from the Turkish War(1919-23).
Fridtjof Nansen was responsible to fix this.
Nansen, his staff and the Red Cross helped 425,000 displaced people return home or find new ones between 1920-22.
He had to find suitable transport, set up camps, create new settlements, teach new trades and skills and issue identity documents.
The slavery commission
Worked to abolish slavery/slave-dealing and prostitution around the world. It was a big issue in East Africa, but was also a major concern in other parts of the world.
Many workers were not technically slaves but we’re treated like slaves.
The commission tried to help them too.
They used persistent enquiry, publication of reports and constant coaxing of governments that appeared slow or evasive.
They freed 200,00 slaves in Sierra Leone. Death rate of African workers on the Tanganyikan railway from 50%-4%
Jordan, Iraq, Japan, etc. abolished slavery.
Prostitution still existed though.
The Health Committee
Attempted to deal with the problems of dangerous diseases and to educate people about health and sanitation.
WW1 brought rapid developments in medicine and ideas about public health and disease prevention.
They brought experts in and worked with charities and other independent agencies to collect health issue statistics, to spread ideas and to develop programs to fight disease.
Established links with non-member countries such as Germany, Soviet Russia, USA to provide information, service, technical assistance, advise on public health matters. Helped Soviet Russia prevent Typhus, Epidemic by doing a public health campaign. They helped reduce the incidence of leprosy and began an international campaign to exterminate mosquitos reducing malaria and yellow fever.
Developed internationally accepted vaccines for Diphtheria, Tetanus.
The Danzig Commission
Exercised direct League control over the former German city.
Minorities Commission
Attempted to bring about a general improvement in the way that some racial minorities were ill-treated.
Intellectual Cooperation Organization
Promoted cultural exchanges and intellectual contact between academics, artists and writers.
Special Committee for Drug Traffic
Campaigned to reduce drug misuse and drug smuggling.
Disarmament Commission
Article 8 called all countries to disarm but by the end of the 1920s, only the defeated powers were disarmed because they were forced to by the terms of the treaty.
A minor success was the organization of the Washington Naval Conference of 1921, which led to the agreement on Naval limitation by the USA, Britain’s, France and Japan. It was impossible for the commission to convene a World Disarmament Conference before 1932 because of failure to agree on definitions, classification, and methods of armament counting.
Economic and Financial Organization
At the end of WW1, many countries faced economic crisis. Austria was in danger of financial collapse as it tried to adjust to its new status as a landlocked country now dependent upon agriculture for its wealth. Expenditure had to be brought in line with the inevitable reduced revenues and in 1922 the League devised a rescue plan to achieve this. Action was taken to stabilize the currency by controlling the level of interest rates, the circulation of banknotes, and the issuing of credit. Austria was also given a substantial loan. As a result, trade soon revived, unemployment fell, and the budget was balanced. Similarly successful rescue programmed were devised for other ailing countries including Hungary, Greece and Bulgaria.
Membership
Not all major countries (USA) were part of the Assembly and Council.
Britain and France usually guided policy. Any actions needed their support.
Both countries were weakened by the war and didn’t have the resources to fill the gap left by the USA.
Some British politicians wouldn’t have voted to for the League if they knew USA was absent.
They felt that without USA they had no influence for the league to work or resources and that trade sanctions would not work without USA.
Membership USA
USA refused to join because most of the American Senate thought the league would drag their country into future disputes and wars.
Their absence was a body blow to the prospects of the League as the new organization was deprived from the most powerful, influential country.
The ability of the league to enforce collective security would be much reduced and the general prestige of the league would be significantly affected.
