TO WHAT EXTENT WAS

LEAGUE OF NATIONS A
SUCCESS
• Woodrow Wilson’s idea
• Why – to avoid future wars
• Solve int disputes
• Protect smaller nations from aggression
Successes
• Humanitarian aid
• Financial aid to stabilise economies
• 66 International disputes- half of them successfully handled by league

Unsuccessful
• Japan invasion of Manchuria in 1931
• Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia 1935
Disagreements over organisation of League
• Wilson – World parliament – meet regularly
• British leaders – simple organisation like conference of ambassadors –
meet in emergencies’
• France – strong league with its own army
• Wilson won
• Wilson’s idea of league – covenant
• Covenant – rulebook
• Collective security
Wilson’s Idea
• Europeans thought that there wouldn’t be another war
• Why – no country would dare face economic sanctions/ military force
• US – leading
• ANALYSE CARTOONS 4A &4B
Blow to the League – US didn’t join

• Some Americans had German ancestors – didn’t like treaty

• Sanctions would affect US’s trade
• Fear of being dominated by B & F
• Sending US army around the world
Wilson Political Career
• 8 years president – Democratic party
• In 1919, Congress voted against LoN
• In 1920 also, he was pressing for US to join LoN
• In 1920, took the demand to the congress which was again rejected
• 1920, Democrats campaigned for US joining LoN
• Republican candidate, Warren Harding – isolationist
• His slogan – return to normalcy
• They won
The aims of League of Nations
The Covenant of the League of Nations was the name chosen by
President Wilson to describe the League's constitution. It contained 26
articles, or laws, about how the League should be organized.
AIMS
• Its primary aim was to discourage aggression from any nation.
• It wanted to achieve world disarmament.
• It wanted to achieve global cooperation in trade.
• It aimed to improve the lives of people worldwide.
Article 10- Collective Security
Collective security was the principle on which the League of
Nations worked. It was based on the idea that if all members
worked together, they could force any aggressive country to
stop threatening the peace.
Membership of League
• The League had 42 member countries when it was first set up, and 59 b
y the end of the 1930s.
• The USA was never a member of the League, even though it was US
president Woodrow Wilson's idea.
• In the absence of the USA, Britain and France were the most dominant
and influential members of the League.
• Italy and Japan were also permanent members of the council
• Germany joined in 1926
• USSR in 1934 – didn’t trust communist states
• In the absence of US, B & F were not efficient and both weakened by
WW1
• NO resources
• British politicians – they wouldn’t have joined the league had they
known US’s decision before
• Trade Sanctions wouldn’t work if US didn’t follow them
Different Priorities of B & F
• Britain – Trade and Colonies than being an International Police Force
• France – Still Germany a major concern. Lack of League’s own army –
a concern
Vilna: Polish Lithuanian dispute (1920-29)
• Poland and Lithuania- independent states – breakup of Russian
Empire
• Poland, Lithuania and Soviet Union – conflict existing btn 1918-1920
• Oct 7 1920– Lithuania – negotiated with League and Vilna – became
the new seat of Lithuanian govt
• But 2 days later, Poland annexed Vilna
• Opposed by League but it failed
• League recommended a Plebiscite but failed.
Aaland Islands dispute: 1921 : SUCCESS
• Located in Baltic Sea between Finland and Sweden
• Aaland Islands – Finnish territory but largely Swedish population
• Islanders wanted Independence from Finland - led to the conflict
• League gave the Island to Finland but also gave protections to the
Swedish population like removing of Finnish troops
• Both countries accepted League’s decision
Corfu dispute : 1923
• Border conflict between Albania and Greece
• Dispute to be resolved by Conference of Ambassadors
• Appointed Italian General Tellini to supervise
• While surveying Greek side of the frontier – killed
• Italian leader Mussolini – furious and bombarded and occupied
Greece’s Island Corfu
• Greece taken the issue to the League
• Art 12 and 15 – if members within the League are in dispute, they can
take the issue to the council
League’s judgement
• League condemned the actions of Italy
• Asked Greece to pay compensation but League will hold this and will be
given to Italy after finding the convicts
• Mussolini wanted to take it to Conference of Ambassadors, didn’t trust LoN
• Threatened the leave the LoN otherwise
• British and France – not united in this issue
• Britain didn’t accept Italian case and was ready to send warships to force
Mussolini out of Corfu
• But France disagreed as its troops were stationed and busy in Ruhr region
• British didn’t want to go alone and now argued – Mussolini’s actions
doesn’t constitute an act of war
• CoA – made the ruling. League’s ruling – changed
• Asked Greece to apologise and pay compensation – directly to Italy
• Mussolini withdrew from Corfu
The Geneva Protocol
• LoN could be undermined by its own members
• B & F – Geneva Protocol - 1924
• Approach League’s council in case of disputes between its own
members & accept its judgement
• Conservative party in Britain, refused to sign – worried B would be
forced to do something against its interests
• Protocol – failed
Bulgaria, 1925
• Greece invaded Bulgaria when Greek soldiers are killed by Bulgaria
• Bulgaria appealed League for help
• Called for a council meeting
• Asked both sides to stand forces down and asked Greece to withdraw from Bulgaria
• B & F backed League’s decision
• Signing Locarno Treaty at the same time (Germany accepted its western borders –
paving way for it joining LofN)
• Greece had to pay 45,000 pounds as compensation and was threatened of imposing
sanctions if not agreed
• Success of League
• However, different rulings for big & small nations
Disarmament
• 1920s League of Nations failed to bring Disarmament
• Washington Conference in 1921- USA, Japan, Britain and France
agreed to limit their navies
• Failed to implement
• Only Germany had disarmed
• 1920s focus was on the number of international agreements,
therefore, disarmament was not too seriously taken
Economic Recovery
• 1920s – economies of
nations were recovering
• Dawes Plan – helping
Germany and other nations
as well
• Increased Trade- helped to
reduce pol tension
• League – stressing on
improving trade relations –
to avoid wars between
nations
Internationalism
• League achieved a lot in 1920s
• World sorted disputes
• League was effective in handling smaller disputes in 1920s – Zara Steiner
• International mind-set among leaders
• Helped them collaborate than compete- with mere existence
• 1920s and 1930s – countries send their representatives/leaders to have
League meetings
• Powerful nations took unilateral decisions- after ministerial discussions
How Imp was the League’s humanitarian
work?
REFUGEES
• after few years of ww1, 400000 prisoners were returned to their
homes by League’s agencies
• Refugee crisis in Turkey – many had to be housed in refugee camps
• League – stamped out Cholera, smallpox and Dysentery in camps
• League work – difficult in 1930s – no funds – pol tension
Working Conditions
• ILO banned white lead in paint and limited working hours for children
• Campaigned for better working conditions
• Resolution of 48 hour week, 8 hr work in a day
• Res not adopted by many countries – would affect industries
• Lack of funds and power
• Name and shame of nations- breaking resol
Health
• Research into infectious diseases at institutes in Singapore, London and
Denmark
• Developed vaccines and medicines to fight diseases-n leprosy and malaria
• Most successful – cont after 1945 as WHO
Slavery
• Free 200000 slaves in British owned – Sierra Leone
• Raids against slave owners and traders in Burma
• Challenged use of force in building Tanganyika railway in Africa
• Death rate dropped to 4 percent from 50 percent
Other action
• Provided info about drug trafficking, prostitution and slavery
• blacklisted 4 German, Dutch, French and Swiss companies – illegal
drug trade
• Recommendations on practical prblms- marking shipping lanes
Manchuria Crisis 6M
• Japan – affected by Depression because of tariffs imposed by US and
China
• Wanted to expand
• Mukden incident – South Manchurian Railway – alleged attack of Chinese
• used as a pretext to invade
• Took it to LoN
• Interests of B & F in Japan – didn’t want to go to war.
• Far away prblm
• even believed Japan is right
• Lytton Report – declared Japan’s invasion unlawful
• 1933- invaded more- jehol
• Everyone in assembly supported Lytton’s report
• Japan `left LoN 1933
• League’s sanctions – ineffective – US, B & F not ready to cut off trade.
• US and USSR not part of League – they have the resources to stop the
invasion
• Failure – special case, far way, justified
Why did Disarmament fail in 1930s? 6M
• 1920s – failure of Disarmament not seen as a serious prblm
• In 1930s – inc pressure
• Germans – angry
Disarmament Conference
• After Manchurian crisis – many members – need for DA
• In Feb 1932- DA conf held
• July 1932 – resolutions- prohibiting bombing of civil populations
• Limit size of artillery, limit tanks and prohibit chemical warfare
• But failed to prohibit planes that can kill civilian pop, even ban on chemical
weapons
German DA
• What to do abt Germany
• Most agreed it should be treated more equally
• Question – should other nations disarm to the level of G or should G be
allowed to rearm
• 1920s – showed the prior option was not a success and a possibility
• Reluctance in League to the 2nd option
• 1933 – Hitler became the chancellor of Germany and decided to re arm.
• Other nations knew he was secretly disarming
• They too starting rearming . DA conf ended in 1934.
Reasons for Failure
• Britain and France were divided
• Britain wanted to treat G more equally.
• In 1935 – signed even Anglo-German Naval Agreement – allowed G to
develop navies but under 35% of B navy
• Without consulting either LoN or other allies, violated ToV.
Abyssinian crisis 6M
• Like Japan, Italy permanent mem
• Unlike Manchuria, this crisis – doorstep- accessible to the League’s nations
• 1896 – Italian troops tried to invade Abyssinia but had been defeated by
tribesmen – Battle of Adowa
• Mussolini wanted to take revenge- defeat
• Eyed fertile land of Abyssinia
• 1934 – dispute between Italian and Abyssinian soldiers- Wal Wal Oasis
• Took this as cue(signal) and claimed Abyssinia
• Began invasion
• Haile Selessie - LoN
Phase 1- League plays for time
• Jan 1935 – 0ct 1935 – M negotiating with League to settle the dispute
• At the same time, shipping his army into Aby
• B&F didn’t take seriously
• Signed Stresa Pact in 1935, support against G’s rearmament
• An year after B’s public pushing to support Aby – by even use of Mil force
• Britishers now getting tough
• Hoare B Foreign Minister – collective security speech.
• League never did anything – discouraging the actions of Mussolini.
• League – neither side responsible for Wal Wal crisis
• Gave M some part of Aby, M rejected
Phase 2 - Sanctions or not?
• 1935 – M full scale invasion into Abyssinia
• Aby got defeated – modern army of Italy – tanks, aeroplanes and
poison gas
• Large powerful nation attacked smaller nation
• Acc to the Covenant of League, Sanctions against the aggressor
• Sanctions work – if done collectively and quickly
• Every week they were delaying – M stockpiling the raw materials
• League bans – sale of arms, loans, banned imports from Italy, banned
rubber export to Italy etc
• League delayed its decision of sanctioning on oil for two months
• Feared US wont support, its members’ eco interests would be
damaged
• Suez Canal owned by B & F didn’t block Italy’s ships
• Blocking would result in war
The Hoare- Laval Pact
• Secret dealing between B & F
• Dec 1935 – while sanctions discussions happening – Laval and Hoare
were hatching a plan
• Giving 2/3rd of Aby to M and calling of invasion
• Laval planed bef putting it bef the League of Nations’ members or
Haile Selassie
• Haile demanded a debate, In B & F – it was seen as treachery
• Laval and Hoare – sacked
• Sanctions lost momentum
• 1936 - No oil sanctions were successful – America didn’t support, in
fact increased its supply
• Hitler moved his troops into Rhineland – violating ToV
• French desperate to get support of Italy and prepped to give away aby
• May 1936- Italy took Addis Ababa
• Haile forced to exile
• Rome –Berlin Axis – Nov 1936