League of Nations

Aims of the League of Nations

• To deal with disputes among nations
• To prevent war
• To protect the indipendance of countries and safegaurd ther borders.
• Encourage reduction of arms
• Help countries economically and socially

Attitude of Britain and France towards the League

Britain

• Had an empire to worry about, did they really have to get involved in every little squable?
• League was supposed to uphold the terms of the Treaty, Britan felt it was too harsh

France

• As long as the league protected them from Germany, they were happy

Organisation of The League of Nations

The General Assembly

• Met anually
• representatives from all countries
• decided upon general policy
• and Finances
• Unanimous decisions only

The Council

• Met at least three times a year
• 4 permanant members (Britain, France, Italy and Japan)
• 4 other members on 3 year rotations (later 9 members)
• worked on specific political disputes
• decisions had to be unanimous

The Permanant Court of International Justice

• Based in the Hague, Holland
• 15 Judges of mixed nationality
• Sorted legal disputes between states

The Secretariat

• Administration and Paperwork

Commissions and Comittees

• Specific problems
• mandates, miliarty affairs, minority groups, dissarmament commissions
• Internation Labour Organisation, Wolrd Health Organisation
• Child and drug trafficing, womens rights

Peace Keeping

• Collective Security
• Council decides action
• members contribute weapons/troops

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Why was everyone so optimistic for the League when it was set up?

• After war, it was seen as something better
• Idealistic views
• It was new
• Never seen before
• Great promises
• Many members
• Strong members
• Giving it a chance to prove itself
• A guide
• WW1 memories, and a desire for peace

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The League of Nations in the 1920's

• Mainly boundry disputes
• Minor changes to Poland, Danzig, Memel, and Silesia
• Disputes over areas in Turkey, South Armenia and the Baltic sea.
• Failed to stop war between Greece and Turkey (1919-22)

Vilna - 1920

• Poland invaded Vilna, the capital of Lithuania.
• Poland kept it
• France and Britain didn't want to act

Upper Silesia - 1921

• Germany and Poland wanted it
• A plebiscite was taken
  • was split in half
• Peace was maintained

Aaland Islands - 1921

• Finland and Sweden both wanted them
• Finland got it, since League said so, and Sweden accepted
• Peace maintained

Corfu Incident - 1923

• Italian General shot, while there
• Italy shelled Island, and demanded compensation
• Conference of Ambassadors overode League, so Italy didn't have to back down
• League then had to be in favour of Mussolini (he pressured them)
• Reperations had to be paid to Italy

Locarno Pact - 1924

• (Britain and France went outside of the League of Nations to make this)
• Germany promised to keep to its western borders. (no mention of Eastern borders.)

Bulgaria - 1925

• Greek troops invaded Bulgaria
• League condemned the action
• Greece had to pull troops out, and pay reparations to Bulgaria
• (Greece felt this was unfair, since in Corfu incident, the powerful country got its way)

Also

• Turkey claimed Mosul a British mandate of Iraq. League gave it to Iraq (no surprise, since Britain controlled League

Kellogg Pact - 1928

• No war pact
• 65 countries joined

The Great Depression - 1929

• Unemployement
• Falling standards of living
• Dictators came into power

There was very little move towards general dissarmament at all during the 1920's.

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The League of Nations in the 1930's

• Wall Street crash 1929 <- Start of the Great Depression
• Distrust grew
• Dictators came to power

The Japanese Invasion of Manturia - 1931

• Japan invaded Manchuia
• China appeals to the Leage of Nations
• In 1933 the Leage of Nations condemned Japans action
• Japan left the league
• League had no influence in that area, and could do no more

German Rearmamament

• 1932 - Wolrd Dissarmament Conference
  • failed
    • Germany walked out
• 1933 - Germany left the League
• 1935 - Britain made a naval agreement with Germany
  • Germany would keep its navy 35% of Britains
    • This was breaking the Treaty of Versaille
  • The League of Nations was helpless, because Britain made the deal

Abyssinian Crisis (Ethiopia) : 1934-35

Reasons for Italian agression

1. Italy had always wanted to take over Abyssinia
2. One of the few uncolonised countries in Africa
3. In 1896, Italy had invaded, but failed to take over
4. Mussolini needed a succesful war to distract from incompetant government
5. Mussolini said he wanted to civilise a backward people
6. Mussolini wnted to set up a North African Empire

What Happened

• Mussolini invaded Abyssinia
• Abyssinians appealed to the League of Nations
• Weak economic sanctions were imposed (not including coal, oil and steel)
• French and English worried about upsetting Mussolini and pushing him closer towards Hitler
• Hoare-Laval pact - Two thirds of Ethiopia would go to Italy - this was not accepted when public found out (Hoare and Laval lost positions)
• Only collective security from the League could have stopped him - It didn't happen

 

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Commisions and Commitees

Though the League failed in many respects, it was succesful with its social and economic agencies.

International Labour Organisation (ILO)

• fix a maximum working day and week
• adequate minimum wages
• sickness and unemployement benefit
• Old age pensions

Refugee Commission

• Led by Fridtjoff Nansen
• Returned thousands of prisoners of war home

World Health Organisation (WHO)

• Inverstigated causes of epidemics
• combated typhus epidemic in Russia

The Mandates Commission

• Supervides government of mandate
• Seperate commission for the Saar

Dissarmament Commission

• Failed

There are many other examples, you may want to look up, as well as specific examples, though for the exam, this is enough.

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