Core Content B: To What Extent was the League of Nations a Success?

Question 1

What was the League of nations main aims?

Answer 1

1. Discourage aggression- seemed strong as it had both means of arbitration and means of influence (collective security).
2. Encourage cooperation in business and trade
3. Improving living and working conditions of people across the world
4. Most important principle was Article 10 of League covenant, essentially called for collective security
5. promote disarmament

Question 2

How successful was the league in 1920s at discouraging aggression?

Answer 2

Discourage aggression- seemed strong as it had both means of arbitration (tribunals) and means of influence (collective security). Aaland Islands, Upper Silesia, Bulgaria, BUT Vilna, Corfu, Ruhr Invasion

Question 3

How successful was the league in 1920s at Encourage cooperation in business and trade?

Answer 3

Encourage cooperation in business and trade-

1. Locarno treaties=successful but had nothing to do with LON.
2. Encouraged economic recovery like Dawes plan, which was an attempt to strengthen the league but the plan failed in 1924
3. BUT could not impede the Great Depression or reduce its impact and was impaired permanently by it. Thereafter, competition and hostility in business and trade increased.

Question 4

How successful was the league in 1920s at improving living and working conditions?

Answer 4

Improving living and working conditions –

1. helped USSR with plague in Siberia. Helped with cholera, dysentery, small pox, malaria, yellow fever, leprosy.
2. Emancipated 200,000 slaves in Sierra Leone and 400,000 repatriated.
3. Started WHO & ILO, still present.
4. Tanganyika railway work conditions improved (even though there was still 5% fatality rate).
5. Introduced 48-hour working week (but not all countries implemented it).
6. Provided valuable information on drug trafficking, prostitution and slavery, there info was successful to a large extent.

Question 5

Which countries were members of the League?

Answer 5

1. Membership of the League was open to all countries, providing they signed the Covenant of the League – however there were immediately three high-profile and crucial absences
2. Germany not allowed to join due to WW1 and had to prove they were peace loving nation, were allowed to join in 1926 however
3. USSR prevented from joining for being communist and didn’t want to join either, were only allowed to join in 1934
4. USA did not join due to opposition back home, congress votes against them joining and they NEVER join

Question 6

What were the Leagues early success in settling border disputes?

Answer 6

1. In the 1920s the League had the support of most major countries and was successful in settling a series of minor disputes.
2. Successful in the 1921 in settling disputes between Finland and Sweden over the Aaland Islands, awarded islands to Finland, Sweden accepted the judgement
3. Successfully settled border dispute in 1925 where Greece invaded Bulgarian territory for shooting incident on shared border, Greece begrudgingly accepted paying £45,000 compensation for the event

Question 7

How far did weakness in League’s organization make failure inevitable?

Answer 7

1. Unanimous voting meant crisis resolution was inefficient and slow.
2. Secretariat understaffed and a muddle.
3. Permanent court of justice did not have means of influence, could only give advice.
4. Structure was confusing
5. The League could punish a country which broke the covenant using either economic sanctions or military sanctions which meant a declaration of war by each member. ( US absent, weakened economic sanctions)
6. Absence of army meant that LON relied on major powers’ help which led to Britain and France pursuing their own interests. (Great powers had different rules from those that applied to smaller countries.)
7. there was no provision for a League army, so individual countries had to declare war on members that had broken the Covenant.

Question 8

How far did other factors weakness the League ?

Answer 8

League had some successes even with structural disadvantage. Bigger role played by the great depression and goodwill was gone as trade and industry deteriorated, the leadership of LON (Britain, France, Italy)

Question 9

What was the impact of the Great Depression on Germany?

Answer 9

1. It destroyed the relative prosperity of the 1920s. In Germany it wiped out the recovery that had taken place since 1924.
2. This created massive unemployment and poverty, which in turn led to desperation and despair.
3. This led to increased support for extremist parties, who used violence and adopted aggressive policies.
4. In Japan, Italy and Germany, militarism became more influential.

Question 10

What was the impact of the Great Depression on the League?

Answer 10

1. Great depression increased pursuit of self- interest due to domestic crises (high unemployment and discontent, trade issues, rise of extremism)
2. Great depression increased economic competition between markets, people willing to fight for markets and therefore led to rearmament. France rearmed worried about German development-work began at Maginot Line
3. Countries considered imperialistic and aggressive means to feed its people and keep up morale (e.g.: Japan- Manchuria, Italy- Abyssinia) and gained support as people were desperate for solutions.
4. Great depression led to appeasement being a viable option to deal when dealing with aggressors.

Question 11

Was the failure of the League in inevitably?

Answer 11

it was not inevitable, serious successes with humanitarian work, undermined by the decision of weak, selfish, imperialistic leaders, great depression encouraged pursuit of self-interest and made failure inevitable.

Question 12

What was the causes of the Manchuria in 1931?

Answer 12

1. The population began to grow rapidly and Japan needed more land and raw materials.
2. Manchuria had vast resources of coal and iron that Japan lacked,
3. The price of rice fell and exports of silk were affected by the Depression. in order to resettle their growing population, revive export industry and gain resources, Japan achieved these aims militaristic ally by invading Manchuria.
4. In 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria, which was a province of China, claiming that they were acting in self-defence. It claimed that a railway had been blown up at Mukden on 18th September. This was their public reason for invading

Question 13

What were the Manchuria events?

Answer 13

1. Japan set up a puppet government in Manchuria with the last emperor of China as its head
2. The League of Nations set up a Commission of Inquiry under the Earl of Lytton to investigate.
3. Lord Lyton Commission takes 1 year to issue report. He reported that there was no evidence that the Japanese had acted in self-defence and recommended that Manchuria should be an autonomous region under Chinese control.
4. By this time, Japan already set up Manchukuo government. The Japanese ignored the report and the condemnation from the League and resigned in 1933.

Question 14

Why did the League fail to discourage aggression in Manchuria?

Answer 14

1. Britain & Frances are financially and militarily unprepared, make excuses: too far, too chaotic.
2. no action was taken. USA’s absence would weaken any economic sanction.
3. they failed as aggressors who are permanent members of LON broke rules and left. Made League seem weak and ineffective when standing up to big powers.
4. Japan took over all of China at Nanking
5. This encouraged Hitler and Mussolini as they learnt aggression paid due to LON’s weaknesses

Question 15

What was the causes of Abyssinia (1935-6)?

Answer 15

1. In October 1922 Benito Mussolini became prime minister of Italy. From 1925 he ruled as a virtual dictator.
2. By the mid-1930s Italy was suffering very badly from the effects of the Depression and Mussolini was becoming very unpopular. His solution was to begin an aggressive foreign policy.
3. It was also Revenge for 1896 when Italy was defeated by tribesmen in Abyssinia.
4. Victory would be good propaganda during great depression, and mean more resources and market to resolve economic disarray,
5. He learnt form Hitler and Kwatung Army, was successful previously with Corfu (1923)

Question 16

What were the Abyssinia events?

Answer 16

1. On 3 October 1935, the Italian armed forces invaded the African state of Abyssinia (now called Ethiopia).
2. At first the Italians faced considerable opposition, as the Abyssinians avoided a pitched battle and retreated slowly.
3. In early 1936, however, the Italians began to use poison gas and, along with their air power, this led to the collapse of the Abyssinian forces.
4. In May 1936 the capital Addis Ababa was occupied and the Emperor Haile Selassie fled to Britain.

Question 17

Why did the League fail to discourage aggression in Abyssinia?

Answer 17

1. League was undermined in 1935 when Britain and France tried to arrange a compromise solution to the crisis, the Hoare-Laval Pact. This would have allowed Mussolini to retain control of most of Abyssinia.
2. Both Britain and France were alarmed at events in Germany and wanted to keep Mussolini on their side against Hitler.
3. The three nations had already formed the Stresa Front in 1934. Britain and France did not want Mussolini to resign from the League of Nations.
4. Invited him in early 1935 to join formalized anti-German protest.
5. Britain also refused to close the Suez Canal; that would have paralysed Mussolini

Question 18

What was League’s reaction to the Invasion of Abyssinia?

Answer 18

1. Sanctions were applied to Italy, including an arms embargo, banning Italian imports and all financial dealings, but oil was not included as they would hurt British economy.
2. Mussolini later admitted that oil sanctions was the one thing that would have forced him to withdraw.

Question 19

What happened at the Geneva Disarmament Conference (1932-4)?

Answer 19

1. Geneva Disarmament Conference was conference disrupted by Hitler’s demand for ‘equality of status’ and permission to rearm.
2. France outraged and reluctant. Britain more optimistic.
3. Failed due to pursuit of self- interest and the divide in approach to aggressors due to different vulnerabilities = major weakness.

Question 20

Why did disarmament fail?

Answer 20

1. Only Germany expected to disarm - unfair basis
2. No one was serious about it. France blatantly ignored the covenant
3. Depression increased economic competition. Military provided jobs and defence for colonies/markets.
4. Depression led to extremism in badly affected countries with few colonies like Germany, Italy & Japan
5. Britain and France were divided on the issue

Question 21

When did disarmament and aggression curbing effects fail?

Answer 21

Both disarmament and aggression curbing efforts failed in the 1930s.