To what extent was the League of Nations a success? Flashcards
Where was the headquarters of the League?
Geneva
Which League committee aimed to improve conditions for working people?
International Labour Organisation
What did the mandates commission do?
Dealt with the running of former German and Ottoman colonies mandated to League of Nations control.`
What was the Conference of Ambassadors?
This was a group that had oversight of the way peace treaties were put into effect. There was often uncertainty about which issues should be decided by the League and which should be sorted out by the CofA.
What did the Permanent Court of International Justice do?
This was based in The Hague and its role was to help settle disputes, particularly over borders, between countries. However, it had no way of making sure that countries followed its rulings.
Describe the work of the Refugees Committee.
The League appointed the famous explorer Fridtjof Nansen to oversee this committee, which aimed to return refugees (mainly from former Russian and Ottoman territories) to their homes or help them to settle and find work in new countries. 400,000 prisoners returned to their homes after the War.
Who were the permanent members of the League Council in 1920?
Britain, France, Italy, Japan
Roughly how many times a year did the Council meet?
5
How many times a year did the League Assembly meet?
Once
What was the key problem with decisions that were made by the Assembly?
They had to be unanimous, and it was often difficult to get all members to agree.
In 1921, the League ruled on a dispute over the Aaland Islands. What was the outcome?
The League ruled that the islands should belong to Finland, and Sweden accepted this.
How did the League resolve the dispute over Upper Silesia (1921)?
The League oversaw a peaceful plebiscite and divided the region between Germany and Poland.
What was the Geneva Protocol?
This said that if two LoN members were in dispute, they had to ask the League to sort out the disagreement, and they had to accept the Council’s decision. In the end, Britain refused to sign up to this after it was drawn up in 1924.
In which year was the Vilna incident? And what happened?
- 1920
- Poland took control of the Lithuanian capital, Vilna. L appealed to the League and the League protested to Poland. The Poles did not pull out. Britain and France unprepared to act.
In which year did the Corfu incident take place?
1923
Who was the Italian general murdered in Corfu, which sparked Mussolini’s occupation of the island?
Tellini
How, broadly, did the Great Depression in the US affect the economies of other countries?
- US loans dried up, negatively affecting the economies of many European countries, and leading to unemployment
- Many countries started to rearm as a way of trying to get industry going, and to provide jobs
How did the Great Depression affect Japan? Give at least two points.
- Main export was silk to the US; this dried up
- Consequent economic downturn meant Japan had less money to buy food and raw materials
- Japan’s military leaders decided that building an Empire and taking over weaker countries could help recover the economy
How did the Great Depression affect Germany? Give at least two points.
- There was unemployment and poverty
- Germany’s political leaders seemed unable to do anything about the chaos
- Adolf Hitler was elected as Germans saw his ideas as potentially able to provide some sort of solution to these problems
When was the Wall Street Crash?
October 1929
Where was the explosion that gave Japan the excuse to invade Manchuria?
Mukden, on the South Manchurian Railway
When China appealed to the League after the invasion on Manchuria, what did the League do?
- Sent a commission to report on the crisis
- Took a full year to report
- Their conclusions = Japan had acted unlawfully and Manchuria should be returned to China
What was Japan’s response to the League’s condemnation of their actions in Manchuria?
They left the League (in March, 1933)
The League’s response to the Manchurian crisis was a failure. Give three reasons why.
- Slow response
- Countries not willing to risk their armed forces in a war with ‘far away’ Japan
- Economic sanctions meaningless without the USA
- Britain keen to maintain a good (trading) relationship with Japan
- Japan simply left the League in response
When did the Disarmament Conference begin?
February, 1932
How did Hitler respond to the discussions during the Disarmament Conference?
Left the Conference (Oct, 1933), and soon after took Germany out of the League altogether
When was the Anglo-German naval agreement, and what did it say?
- Allowed Germany to build up its navy to no more than 35% the size of Britain’s. Britain did not consult the LoN about this, even though it violated Versailles.
Give three reasons why Mussolini wanted to invade Abyssinia?
- Revenge for 1896 Italian defeat at Adowa
- Fertile lands and mineral wealth
- Glory of conquest
- Distraction from Italian domestic problems
Where was the dispute that began the Abyssinian crisis?
Wal Wal
Describe the Stresa Pact
- Formal statement, signed by France, Britain and Italy, against German rearmament, and a commitment that they would stand united against Hitler.
In which month and year did Mussolini launch his full-scale invasion of Abyssinia?
October, 1935
What four sanctions did the League place on Italy in the aftermath of the Abyssinian invasion?
- Banned arms sales to Italy
- Banned loans to Italy
- Banned imports from Italy
- Banned export of tin, rubber and metals to Italy
Why were League sanctions against Mussolini after the Abyssinian invasion ineffective?
- Decision to impose sanctions delayed for two months.
- Suez Canal not closed.
- Oil not part of any sanctions
- Little British enthusiasm for sanctions against Italy.
Which Pact was designed by the French and British foreign ministers in response to the Abyssinian crisis, December 1935?
Hoare-Laval Pact
When did Hitler march his troops into the Rhineland?
7th March 1936
When was the Dawes Plan and what was it designed to do?
- Aimed to help sort out Germany’s economic chaos by providing Dollar loans which were used to rebuild industry and help pay reparations.
When was the Locarno Treaty, and what did it do?
- Germany accepted its western borders as set out in the ToV. Paved the way for Germany to join the LoN.`
When, and what, was the Kellogg-Briand pact?
- 65 nations agreed not to use force to settle disputes.
Give four aims of the League
- Discourage aggression from any nation
- Encourage cooperation between nations, especially in trade
- Encourage disarmament
- Improve living and working conditions of people in all parts of the world
Which article of the LoN’s Covenant established the principle of ‘collective security’?
Article 10.
