To What Extent was the League of Nations a Success? Flashcards
When did the First World War take place?
1914–1918
How many military deaths and civilian casualties were caused by WWI?
Around 8.5 million military deaths and 13 million civilian casualties
What technologies shocked the world during WWI?
Artillery, chemical warfare, and machine guns.
Who was the US president during WWI?
Woodrow Wilson
What was the name of Woodrow Wilson’s speech outlining his vision for post-war Europe?
The 14 Points speech (January 8, 1918)
What is self-determination, according to Wilson’s 14 Points?
All national groups should have their own country.
What were some key ideas in Wilson’s 14 Points?
- Self-determination for national groups
- Disarmament to avoid future wars
- Open discussions instead of secret treaties
- Removal of trade tariffs and economic cooperation
What was the main aspect of Wilson’s 14 Points?
The creation of the League of Nations.
What were the aims of the League of Nations?
- Solve disputes to prevent armed conflict
- Achieve world disarmament
- Encourage free trade
- Improve global living standards
What was the Paris Peace Conference (1919)?
A meeting where the ‘Big Three’ (including Wilson) negotiated post-war terms, leading to the Treaty of Versailles and the creation of the League of Nations.
When did the League of Nations officially begin?
January 10, 1920
Why did the USA never join the League of Nations?
After WWI, the US adopted a policy of isolationism, and many viewed Wilson as an idealist.
What event marked the failure of the League of Nations?
Hitler’s invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, which triggered WWII.
What are some reasons historians argue the League of Nations failed?
- Worldwide events like the Great Depression
- Failure to prevent Hitler’s aggressive foreign policy
- Lack of support from major powers like the USA
What were the causes of the League of Nations?
-Wilson’s 14 points idealism
- End of WWI
- Paris Peace Conference
What were the consequences of the League of Nations?
- Ability to stop WWII
- Peace-making and Humanitarian Success in 1920s
- Creation of UN in 1945
What was Woodrow Wilson’s vision for the League of Nations?
- All nations should become members.
- The League should work together to improve the world.
Why did the USA not join the League of Nations?
- Isolationist policies after WWI.
- Fear of being dragged into European conflicts.
- Opposition to the Treaty of Versailles.
- Wilson’s illness and political opposition.
What happened to Woodrow Wilson in 1920?
He suffered a stroke after a 27-day train journey to gain public support for the League of Nations, making him too ill to run for re-election.
Who became US president in 1921, and what was his stance on the League of Nations?
Warren Harding, who campaigned aggressively against the League of Nations.
What were the three main bodies of the League of Nations?
- Assembly
- Council
- Secretariat
What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Assembly?
Strengths:
- All members had one vote, preventing domination by one country.
Weaknesses:
- Met only once a year.
- Required unanimous decisions, making it slow.
What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Council?
Strengths:
- Met five times a year.
- Could use moral condemnation, trade sanctions, or military force.
Weaknesses:
- Permanent members (Britain, France, Japan, Italy) could veto decisions.
- Lack of US support weakened its decisions.
What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Secretariat?
Strengths:
- Comprised talented experts in multiple fields.
Weaknesses:
- Expensive to maintain.
- Grew too large as the League expanded.
What was the Permanent Court of International Justice, and what were its weaknesses?
- A well-respected body with legal experts from member states
- Could not enforce its judgments
What methods could the League of Nations use to resolve disputes?
- Moral condemnation.
- Trade sanctions.
- Military force (if members contributed troops).
- Bringing conflicting parties together for talks.
Why was the League of Nations’ failure considered inevitable?
- Absence of the USA weakened its power.
- Conflicting visions among world leaders (Wilson, Lloyd George, Clemenceau).
- Lack of enforcement mechanisms.
- Economic and political challenges like the Great Depression.
What did Lloyd George believe the League of Nations should do?
- Meet only in emergencies.
- Help Britain build its empire using mandates.
What did Clemenceau believe the League of Nations should do?
- Protect France from invasion.
- Maintain a large army for enforcement.
What was the main weakness of the League’s structure?
The requirement for unanimous decisions, which made it slow and ineffective in resolving conflicts.
What is international diplomacy?
The way countries communicate and work together through alliances, treaties, and agreements.
Why was international diplomacy good in the 1920s?
Countries had friendly foreign policies and made agreements, though often outside the League of Nations.
Why did countries make agreements outside the League of Nations?
- Important nations like the USA, USSR, and Germany were not members. 2. The League was slow at making decisions.
What were the aims of the Washington Naval Agreement (1922)?
- Limit Japanese imperialism. 2. Ease tensions in the Asia-Pacific region. 3. Work towards naval disarmament.
Which countries signed the Washington Naval Agreement?
USA, Britain, Italy, and Japan.
What were the terms of the Washington Naval Agreement?
- Restrictions on building battleships, battlecruisers, and aircraft carriers. 2. Britain and USA limited to 533,000 tonnes; Japan limited to 320,000 tonnes.
What was the significance of the Washington Naval Agreement?
- First treaty to encourage disarmament. 2. Countries attended as individual nations, not League representatives. 3. Did not restrict the number of ships, encouraging lighter warships.
What were the aims of the Rapallo Treaty (1922)?
- Rebuild Germany and USSR’s reputations after WWI. 2. Resolve USSR’s issues with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (1917).
What were the terms of the Rapallo Treaty?
- End of USSR’s reparations to Germany. 2. Trading agreements between Germany and USSR. 3. Secret German military training and rearmament in the USSR.
What was the significance of the Rapallo Treaty?
- Angered the Allies due to Germany making alliances without permission. 2. Conducted secretly, undermining the League of Nations.
What were the aims of the Locarno Treaty (1925)?
- Improve Germany’s international reputation. 2. Avoid conflict with France after the Ruhr invasion (1923).
What were the terms of the Locarno Treaty?
- France and Germany promised peace. 2. Germany accepted its western borders from the Treaty of Versailles. 3. Rhineland remained demilitarized.
What was the significance of the Locarno Treaty?
- Germany entered as an equal, not under duress. 2. Germany joined the League of Nations in 1926. 3. Strengthened the League with additional members.
What were the aims of the Dawes Plan (1925)?
- Reduce Germany’s reparation bill after hyperinflation (1923). 2. Improve German industry and trade.
What were the terms of the Dawes Plan?
- Temporary reduction of reparations to £50 million/year. 2. US bank loans for German industry.
What was the significance of the Dawes Plan?
- Reparations became manageable; trust improved. 2. US gave $25 billion to German industry (1924–1930). 3. German industrial output increased by 50% (1923–1928).
What were the aims of the Young Plan (1929)?
- Further reduce Germany’s reparations. 2. Assist Germany in paying reparations.
What were the terms of the Young Plan?
- Total reparations reduced from £6.6 billion to £2 billion. 2. Reparations to be fully repaid by 1988.
What was the significance of the Young Plan?
- Improved relations between Germany and Allies. 2. France left the Rhineland in 1930. 3. Outraged extremist parties in Germany.
How did international diplomacy impact the League of Nations?
- League members bypassed the Assembly and Council. 2. League gained a reputation for words over actions. 3. Countries pursued their own foreign policies, ignoring the League.
What is Article 10 of the League of Nations agreement?
- Collective Security
-If an aggressive country attacked one League member, it attacked all members of the League
-Combined League army to defend the country from the aggressor
What was the aim of collective security?
- Make member countries feel safer
- Deter war
What were methods for LoN peacekeeping other than collective security?
- Moral Condemnation
- Trade Sanctions
- Compensation
- Plebiscites
What happened in Vilna and what was the outcome with LoN involvement?
- During Versailles Settlement, Lithuania and Poland were separate and independent
- People of Vilna, city in South, wanted to be part of Poland
- Poland sent army to capture Vilna, Lithuania called LoN for help
- League tells Poland to withdraw
- Poland refuses and Vilna becomes Polish
What was the significance of the Vilna Dispute?
- Undermined League’s power
- showed reluctance of permanent members to raise an army
What happened in the Aaland Islands and what was the outcome with LoN involvement?
- Both Sweden and Finland wanted ownership of Aaland Islands
- Both countries approached league
- LoN decides Islands to remain Finnish
- Weren’t allowed soldiers or weapons
What was the significance of the Aaland Islands Dispute?
- One of the biggest successes of the League of Nations
- If both members respected the League of Nations, they:
>Would ask the League for help in their dispute
>Accept the League’s decision
What happened in Corfu and what was the outcome with LoN involvement?
- Island, part of Greece
- Italian General murdered on border of Greece and Albania
- Mussolini was furious and demanded Greece to pay compensation but Greece refused
- Mussolini invaded Corfu in retaliation
- League demands Italy to leave
- Conference of Ambassadors order Greece to pay compensation
What is the significance of the Corfu Dispute/
- Without the USA, the League could not stand up to powerful countries like Italy
- It set the standard by which other aggressive leaders could manipulate the League
- It demonstrated that organisations like the Conference of Ambassadors could overturn the League’s decisions
What happened in Bulgaria and what was the outcome with LoN involvement?
- Shoot-out at border of Greece and officer is killed
- In retaliation, Greece invade Bulgaria
- League force Greece to leave Bulgaria and pay compensation
- Greece leaves, calls LoN hypocrites
What is the significance of the Bulgaria Dispute?
- Showed inconsistencies in League’s rulings as both Corfu and Bulgaria had death of officer and armed invasion but punishments were different
- Did not fairly deal with disputes as they were desperate not to antagonise countries which could start a war
What was one area of success for the League of Nations?
Humanitarian work.
What does humanitarianism refer to?
Actions that aim to improve people’s lives and end world suffering.
What was a key aim of the League of Nations in terms of humanitarian work?
Improving people’s working and living conditions.
How did the League address humanitarian issues?
By establishing agencies, each dealing with one specific issue.
What was the purpose of the Refugees Committee?
To repatriate citizens, especially in the Balkans, Greece, Armenia, and Türkiye, and improve standards in refugee camps.
How many displaced people returned home due to the Refugees Committee?
425,000
What was one success of the Refugees Committee?
Reducing the number of refugees dying from diseases like cholera.
What was a weakness of the Refugees Committee?
It lacked the funding needed to resolve the refugee crisis.
Who was the head of the Refugees Commission?
Fridjof Nansen
What was the Nansen passport?
A document used by the League from 1922 to 1938 to allow stateless refugees to travel.
What was the reason for the Health Committee’s existence?
The First World War showed disparities in healthcare, and the Spanish Flu killed around 50 million people.
What were the aims of the Health Committee?
To eradicate dangerous diseases, educate the public on hygiene, and work with charities to increase disease prevention.
What was one success of the Health Committee?
Preventing a typhoid epidemic in the USSR.
What was a weakness of the Health Committee?
Its work was impacted by a lack of funding during the Great Depression.
What was the purpose of the International Labour Organisation (ILO)?
To improve working standards worldwide.
What were the aims of the ILO?
To place limits on working hours, collect data on working practices, and improve health and safety in the workplace.
What was one success of the ILO?
Restricting the working week to 48 hours.
What was a weakness of the ILO?
It could only recommend, not make laws, and countries rejected some of its suggestions.
What was the purpose of the Slavery Commission?
To abolish slavery worldwide.
What was one success of the Slavery Commission?
Freeing 200,000 enslaved people in Sierra Leone.
What was a weakness of the Slavery Commission?
There were no agreed procedures for reviewing slavery in member states.
What did Article 2 of the League of Nations Convention to Suppress the Slave Trade and Slavery state?
Member states agreed to prevent and suppress the slave trade and work toward the complete abolition of slavery.
What was an example of the League’s humanitarian work related to refugees?
The Refugees Committee repatriated victims of the First World War.
What was an example of the League’s humanitarian work related to health?
The Health Committee aimed to eradicate diseases like malaria by capturing and destroying mosquitoes.
What was an example of the League’s humanitarian work related to labor?
The ILO restricted the working week to 48 hours.
What was an example of the League’s humanitarian work related to slavery?
The Slavery Commission freed 200,000 enslaved people in Sierra Leone.
What was Sean Lester’s role in the League of Nations?
He was the Secretary-General of the League of Nations.
What did Sean Lester say about the League’s work in 1946?
He argued that the League’s work had a positive impact on the social, economic, and humanitarian life of the world.
What was one example of the League’s success in maintaining peace?
It settled disputes like the Aaland Islands issue, preventing potential battlefields.
Why might Sean Lester’s speech in 1946 be seen as surprising?
Because it was delivered after the Second World War
What was one key achievement of the League’s Health Committee?
Establishing research institutes in London, Copenhagen, and Singapore.
What was one key achievement of the League’s Refugees Committee?
Returning 425,000 displaced people to their homes or countries.
What was one key achievement of the League’s Slavery Commission?
Reducing the death rate of workers on the Tanganyika Railway from 50% to 4%.
What was one key achievement of the ILO?
In 1928, 77 countries agreed to a minimum wage.
What event marked the collapse of the US economy in October 1929?
The Wall Street Crash.
Why did the US economy experience a surplus of money in the 1920s?
Britain and France were repaying their wartime loans to the USA.
What happened on “Black Thursday”?
People sold 13 million shares, and share prices plummeted dramatically.
Why did the Wall Street Crash cause a worldwide depression?
The Dawes and Young Plans connected the US economy to European countries, and the US recalled all of their loans.
How did governments try to boost employment during the Great Depression?
They encouraged populations to buy domestic products and increased trade tariffs for foreign goods.
Why did extremism increase in the 1930s?
People blamed their governments for the economic crash, and extremist parties offered radical solutions.
What did the Nazi Party promise to do during the Great Depression?
Reverse the Treaty of Versailles and make Germany strong again.
Name the four key dictators in Europe by 1939.
Mussolini (Italy), Stalin (USSR), Hitler (Germany), and Franco (Spain).
Why was extremism an issue for the League of Nations?
Extremist leaders prioritized their own countries, adopted aggressive foreign policies, and had no respect for the League.
How did militarism distract countries from the Great Depression?
It created employment in rearmament businesses and made civilians feel proud of their country.
How did Germany pursue militarism in the 1930s?
By breaking the Treaty of Versailles’ military restrictions, creating the Luftwaffe, and adopting a “Guns, not Butter” approach.
What was Japan’s reason for expanding its empire in the 1930s?
To secure raw materials and restore national pride.
Why were Britain and France unwilling to stop international aggression in the 1930s?
They were still recovering from the Great Depression and lacked resources.
What was Manchuria?
- Province of China
- Bordered Korea which was owned by Japan
- Agricultural land
What were Japan’s economic motivations for invading Manchuria?
Japan sought raw materials (coal, iron, timber) and agricultural land to support its growing population and industrial economy, especially during the Great Depression.
What was the Mukden Incident?
A staged event in September 1931 where Japanese troops blew up a section of railway near Mukden (Shenyang) and blamed Chinese saboteurs, using it as a pretext to invade Manchuria.
How did the League of Nations respond to the Manchuria Crisis?
The League condemned Japan’s actions but failed to take effective measures, highlighting its inability to enforce international peace.
What was the consequence of the Manchurian Crisis?
- The League of Nations looked weak
- Did not have any key countries as members
- League’s lack of reaction encouraged further aggression
What was the World Disarmament Conference?
- Geneva, Switzerland
- 1932 - 34
- Aimed at reducing global military forces and preventing future wars through disarmament
Why did the World Disarmament Conference fail?
Major powers disagreed: France wanted security guarantees, Germany demanded equal arms, others refused cuts, and Hitler’s rise led to Germany’s withdrawal, ending the conference.
What was Mussolini’s motivation for invading Abyssinia?
To expand Italy’s empire, gain resources, and boost national prestige.
How did the Treaty of Versailles influence Abyssinia Crisis?
Italy felt cheated after WWI, as it didn’t gain expected territories, fuelling expansionist ambitions.
Why was Abyssinia a target for Italy?
It was one of the few independent African nations, rich in resources and strategically located.
What was the Wal Wal Incident?
A border clash in December 1934 used by Italy as a pretext to invade Abyssinia.
When did Italy invade Abyssinia?
October 1935, using modern weapons and brutal tactics like poison gas.
What was the Hoare-Laval Pact?
A secret plan by Britain and France to give Italy parts of Abyssinia, undermining the League’s authority
What was the outcome for Abyssinia?
It was annexed by Italy in 1936, becoming part of Italian East Africa.
What impact did the Abyssinia crisis have on international relations?
Pushed Mussolini closer to Hitler, leading to the Rome-Berlin Axis and weakening the Stresa Front.
How did the Abyssinia crisis influence future aggression?
Encouraged Hitler and Mussolini to pursue further expansion, contributing to the outbreak of WWII.
What happened to the League of Nations after 1936?
- Reputation destroyed
- Moved closer to a world war
- Failed to keep world peace
- Disbanded in April 1946 giving its power to UN
