Topic 2 - To what extent was the League of Nations a success?

Question 1

What was the League of Nations?

Question 2

What was the aim of League of Nations? (3)

Answer 2

preserve world peace
promote international cooperation over range of economic and social problems
eg: disarmament

Question 3

The 3 structures of the league. (3)

Answer 3

Secretariat, assembly, council

Question 4

What was the job of secretariat? (2+2 examples)

Answer 4

Civil service of the League
Preformed all the administrative and financial work:
organizing conferences
monitoring budgets
publishing reports
distributing agendas
etc.

Question 5

What was the job of assembly (3)

Answer 5

They met once a year
Every member of the league had one vote
They considered matters of general policy
Controlled the league’s budget
Admitted new members
Elected non-permanent members of the council

Question 6

What was the job of the council? (4)

Answer 6

They were the executive body of the league
met four or five times a year and in times of crisis
had permanent members and non-permanent members

Question 7

Who were the permanent members in the council in 1920? (4)

Answer 7

Britain
France
Italy
Japan

Question 8

When did Germany become a permanent member in the council? (1)

Answer 8

1926

Question 9

Why didn’t America join the LoN?

Answer 9

Even though president Wilson was one of the main inspirations behind the league, America senate thought that the league would drag America into future wars.

Question 10

How did America’s absence impact the League? (2)

Answer 10

The world’s most powerful, influential and wealthiest country was not in the League.
The League’s ability to take action against aggressive countries would be reduced

Question 11

Germany and the League. (4)

Answer 11

Germany was not allowed to join LoN until it had demonstrated its peaceful intentions.
–> made the League look like a club for the powers closely associated with ToV

Germany was allowed to join in 1926 –> became permanent

Question 12

When did Germany leave the League. (1)

Answer 12

1933

Question 13

Soviet Russia and the League. (4)

Answer 13

Was not invited to join
mainly for ideological reasons –> committed communists and wanted to overthrow capitalism

However 1920s –> more tolerance and Soviet joined in 1934 –> later expelled in 1939

Question 14

Japan and the League
when did they leave, why?
(3)

Answer 14

original member but left in 1933 after receiving criticism for invading Manchuria

Question 15

Italy and the League
when did they leave, why?
(3)

Answer 15

original member but left in 1937 following its invasion of Abyssinia and the imposition of sanctions

Question 16

Britain & France and the League
What were their concerns?
(3)

Answer 16

only countries that were members throught its existence
Britain –> concerned with trying to maintain its empire
France –> concerned with increasing security against Germany

Question 17

Collective security
What were they?
(4)

Answer 17

three stages that could be followed to stop an aggressive power:

Moral disapproval
Economic sanctions
Military sanctions

Question 18

Moral disapproval. (2)

Answer 18

council would meet and vote to condemn the action

–> knowing it had the weight of world opinion directed against it –> it might drop its aggressive action

Question 19

Economic sanctions. (2)

Answer 19

If moral disapproval failed then the council will impose economic sanction

arrange a trade boycott and refusing credit

Question 20

Military sanctions. (1)

Answer 20

sending a army to assist the victim of the aggression

Question 21

Unanimous decisions. (2)

Answer 21

all decisions had to be unanimous
–> just one negative vote –> the motion would fail
very difficult to take a decisive action against a country who decided to disturb peace

Question 22

Lack of an army. (2)

Answer 22

no army of its own
–> when military sanctions was called - countries would be asked to contribute

Question 23

Problems (2)

Answer 23

unanimous decisions
lack of an army

Question 24

League successes 1920. (4)

Answer 24

Aaland Islands 1921
Upper Silesia 1921
Mosul 1924
Bulgaria 1925

Question 25

Aaland Islands 1921. (4)

Answer 25

First dispute to the resolved by the league

Sweden and Finland claim the Aaland Islands. Islanders wanted to be ruled by Sweden, however the island was awarded to Finland. In conditions with safeguards and demilitarization.
Sweden accepted.

Question 26

Upper Silesia 1921. (4)

Answer 26

valuable industrial area –> between Germany and Poland.
Orginally granted to Poland by ToV –> Germans protested –> held a vote and most votes suggested it should go to Germany. But some parts were deffo Finland’s

Partition suggested –> easter upper silesia went to Poland

Question 27

Mosul 1924 (4)

Answer 27

Tuckey claimed Kurdish- populated province of Mosul.

–> Part of the British-mandated territory or Iraq. Award in favous of Iraq. Turkey accepted the judgment.

Question 28

Bulgaria 1925

Answer 28

Greece was ordered to pay £45 000 to Bulgaria after invading it.

Question 29

League failures 1920

Answer 29

Vilna 1920
Occupation of the Ruhr 1923
Corfu Incident 1923

Question 30

How far did the Depression make the work or the League more difficult

Answer 30

October 1929 - Wall street crash
- reduced want to impose economic sanctions
- encouraged militarism in Japan

Question 31

How was LoN a success in 1920? (4)

Answer 31

+ half a million prisoners of war home
+ arrest drug dealers
+ arrested slave traders
+ control diseases

Question 32

What year did Japan invade Manchuria? (1)

Answer 32

1932

Question 33

Why did Japan invade Manchuria?

Answer 33

Rich in mineral wealth ariguclural land

wanted more trade

Question 34

Why did the League fail to help Manchuria

Answer 34

took about a year