International relations in 1919: Was the League of Nations a success? Flashcards
(22 cards)
1
Q
What were the 4 aims of the League?
A
- stop aggression, encourage cooperation
- improve living and working conditions
- disarmament
- enforce the Treaty of Versailles
2
Q
What is the organisation of the League? (8)
A
- Mandates Commission: teams of expert advisers who report on how people in mandates are being treated and ensure Britain and France act in the people’s interests
- Refugees’ Committee: assisted displaced persons and protected their rights
- Slavery Commission: abolish slavery and help slaves and workers treated like slaves
- Court of International Justice: judges from member countries who peacefully settle disputes between countries and sometimes decide on border disputes; however, they had no way of ensuring countries followed their rulings
- Health Committee: brought experts together to collect health statistics, spread ideas, deal with dangerous diseases, and educate people on health and sanitation
- International Labour Organisation: improve working conditions by speaking to employers, governments, were workers’ representatives
- The Council: permanent members (UK, France, Italy, Japan) who had veto powers, and temporary members elected for 3-year periods. They met 5 times a year or in an emergency to resolve issues peacefully
- The Assembly: representatives of each country met once a year to recommend actions for the Council, or vote on admitting new members to the League; decisions had to be unanimous
3
Q
What is Article 10? (4)
A
- collective security
- make war less likely by acting together, condemning aggression, and defending the threatened country
- moral condemnation: publicly criticising the actions of the aggressive country
- economic sanctions: members agreeing to stop trading with a country so its economy suffers
4
Q
What were the weaknesses of the League? (6)
A
- the USA never joined because Wilson’s opponents disliked the Treaty and saw an opportunity to take control. The USA was the greatest economic and military force, meaning the threat of economic sanctions and military force didn’t work
- Britain and France often disagreed and acted in their own interests
- the Assembly met only once a year and decisions had to be unanimous, which led to slow decision-making as members didn’t all agree
- many countries (including Britain) believed the Treaty was too harsh
- the League didn’t have an army, there was no way to enforce decisions through military force, they had to rely on members to provide resources, many were reluctant to do so after WW1
- permanent members had veto powers, could stop actions taken against aggressor if it was in their interest
5
Q
What were the successes and failures in peacekeeping by the League? (3S 2F)
A
Success:
- Upper Silesia, 1921, between Germany and Poland
- Aaland Islands, 1920, between Sweden and Finland
- Greek/Bulgarian crisis, 1925
Failures:
- Vilna, 1920, between Poland and Lithuania
- Corfu crisis, 1923, between Italy and Greece
6
Q
What was the dispute in Upper Silesia?
A
- in 1921, between Germany and Poland
- Upper Silesia was an economically significant region, a mix of Germans and Poles
- Germany and Poland were both contending for control
- the League appointed a commission to oversee a plebiscite and ensure it was conducted fairly
- the poll showed a majority voted for German rule, but significant areas voted heavily for Polish rule
- the League proposed that the East be given to Poland and the West be given to Germany, both accepted
7
Q
What was the dispute in the Aaland Islands?
A
- in 1920, between Sweden and Finland
- both countries said it belonged to them, geographically it was closer to Finland, but it had a 90% Swedish population
- the League appointed a commission to investigate the dispute, they carried out thorough research and consultations with Finland and Sweden
- issued the Aaland Report, which said the Aaland Islands would remain part of Finland but be granted extensive autonomy and self-governance
- it included guarantees for the preservation of the Swedish language, culture, and local traditions
- it was accepted
8
Q
What was the dispute between Greece and Bulgaria?
A
- 1925
- a Greek soldier, pursuing a stray dog, accidentally crossed the Bulgarian border near the village of Petrich
- Bulgarian border guards mistook it as an intrusion, fired warning shots and detained the Greek soldier; there were casualties for both countries
- Greece demanded that Bulgaria be punished, an official apology, and 2 million French francs as compensation for families
- after Bulgaria failed to do so, Greece invaded Bulgaria and occupied the town of Petrich
- fighting ensured, Bulgaria asked the League to intervene
- the League conducted an impartial investigation, and proposed a settlement which redefined the border, with both countries removing troops, and Greece paying £45,000 in compensation, with the threat of economic sanctions
9
Q
What was the dispute in Vilna?
A
- 1920, between Poland and Lithuania
- Vilna was a historically multicultural centre with Poles and Jews
- in April 1919, Polish forces seized control of Vilna, Lithuania’s capital, and refused to recognise their sovereignty
- the League investigated and issued a report in July 1920, recommending Vilna be placed under temporary international administration
- the proposal was rejected, Britain and France didn’t send troops to enforce the decisions, and Vilna became the Polish capital, with Lithuania refusing to recognise sovereignty
10
Q
What was the Corfu crisis?
A
- 1923, between Italy and Greece
- an Italian General and several men were killed while investigating a border dispute between Greece and Albania
- Mussolini blamed the Greeks and demanded immediate reparations, punishment of perpetrators, Greek officials be removed from regions, and control over strategic areas of Greek territory
- he ordered soldiers to occupy Corfu until Greece agreed
- the League condemned his actions, told Greece to pay if the killers were found
- Mussolini refused to cooperate with the League and threatened to leave
- Britain wanted to force the troops out of Corfu, France didn’t want to risk a dispute with Italy alongside the Ruhr invasion
- Britain was unconfident alone, the Conference of Ambassadors changed the League’s ruling, ordered the Greeks to apologise and pay compensation
- the failure showed the League was weak and couldn’t settle disputes between large powers and small countries
11
Q
What was the Geneva Protocol?
A
- drawn up by Britain and France in 1924
- said that if 2 members were in dispute, they would have to ask the League to sort out the disagreements and would have to accept the Council’s decisions
- there was a general election in Britain, new Conservative government refused to sign the Protocol
- were worried that Britain would be forced to agree to something that wasn’t in its own interests
12
Q
What was the League’s humanitarian work? (4)
A
Refugee Commission: refugees
International Labour Organisation (ILO): working conditions
Health Committee: health matters in poor countries
Slavery Commission: slaves
13
Q
What did the Refugees Commission do? (7)
A
- helped refugees get home after the war, and found homes/communities for them in other countries
- helped prisoners of war in Russia
- sent 500,000 refugees home
- made a camp for Turkish refugees
- advocated for legal rights and protection
- provided medical assistance
- were constantly short of funds, and their work became more difficult in the 1930s as the international situation became tenser and the authority of the League declined
14
Q
What did the International Labour Organisation do? (7)
A
- campaigned for improved working conditions
- created job centres
- banned poisonous white lead in paint
- limited hours during which small children were allowed to work
- tried to implement a maximum 48-hour week and an 8-hour day, the majority of members refused as they believed it would cost their industries too much
- suffered a lack of funds and power
- couldn’t do more than ‘name and shame’ countries/organisations that broke their regulations
15
Q
What did the Health Committee do? (4)
A
- built health facilities
- educated people about health
- prevented the spread of diseases such as leprosy and malaria
-improved medicine/ideas about public health
16
Q
What did the Slavery Commission do? (5)
A
- freed 200,000 slaves in Sierra Leone
- abolished slavery in the world
- helped workers treated like slaves
- organised raids against slave owners and traders in Burma
- challenged the use of forced labour to build the Tanganyika railway in Africa, where the death rate among African workers was 50%, League pressure brought it down to 4%
17
Q
How did the Depression make the League’s work more difficult? (6)
A
- caused unemployment and suffering, which led to an increased number of people supporting extremist parties like Nazis, because they promised to solve the economic problems in their respective countries and had good plans of doing so
- the USA was hit hardest, resulting in loans to countries abroad being recalled, such as the loans to Germany as secured under the Dawes Plan
- international trade and cooperation declined as countries tried to encourage people to buy goods produced locally by introducing tariffs on international imports
- US focused on its own internal problems, developed a policy of isolationism
- main leading countries of the League, Britain and France, suffered heavily, so they were reluctant to stand up to dictators as they were busy dealing with internal problems resulting from the depression
- many countries (Germany, Japan, Italy, and Britain) started to rearm as a way of trying to get industries working and give jobs to the unemployed, which only caused alarm and tension
18
Q
What happened during the Manchurian crisis?
A
- Japan was a major power with a powerful military, strong industries, and a growing empire by the 1920s
- Depression hit hard, China and the USA put up tariffs against Japanese goods
- decided to expand its empire to provide resources and markets for Japanese goods
- in 1931, Chinese troops allegedly attacked the South Manchurian Railway, controlled by the Japanese army
- used the excuse to invade and set up a government in Manchukuo
- China appealed to the League, Japan argued that they were protecting their assets in Manchuria and had invaded to keep the peace during the civil war between the Nationalists and Communists
- investigation entrusted to Lord Lytton and the Lytton Commission, took over a year to present the Lytton Report in September 1932
- concluded that Manchuria should be returned to the Chinese
- Japan instead announced they were going to further invade China in February 1933, arguing it was necessary in self-defence
- Japan resigned from the League in March 1933 and invaded Jehol
- League was powerless; economic sanctions were useless without the USA, Japan’s main trading partner
- Britain wanted to maintain a good relationship with Japan, and Britain and France didn’t want to risk navies or armies in a war with Japan
- only the USA and USSR would have had the resources to remove the Japanese from Manchuria by force, not members of the League
- showed the League was useless in cases with strong nations
19
Q
What was the Disarmament Conference?
A
- members of the League realised the urgency of the problem of armament after the Manchurian crisis
- Disarmament Conference started in February 1932. By July 1932, it had produced resolutions to prohibit bombing of civilian populations, limit the size of artillery, limit the tonnage of tanks, and prohibit chemical warfare
- there was very little in the resolutions to show how these limits would be achieved
- e.g. bombing of civilians to be prohibited, but all attempts to agree to abolish planes capable of bombing were defeated
20
Q
What were the reasons the the Disarmament Conference’s failure? (3)
A
- Britain and France were divided on the issue
- by 1933, many Brits thought ToV was unfair
- signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement in 1935, which allowed Germany to build up its navy as long as it stayed under 35% of the size of the British navy
21
Q
What happened during the Abyssinian Crisis?
A
- Mussolini wanted revenge for a previous defeat in 1896, when Italy tried and failed to invade Abyssinia in the Battle of Adowa
- In December 1934, there was a dispute between Italian and Abyssinian soldiers at the Wal-Wal oasis, 80km inside Abyssinian territory
- Mussolini claimed it was Italian territory, demanded an apology and began preparing the army for an invasion
- Abyssinian emperor appealed to the League for help
- from January to October 1935, Mussolini was supposedly negotiating to settle the dispute, but he was shipping his army to Africa at the same time
- France and Britain failed to take the situation seriously, and wanted to keep a good relationship with their strongest ally against Hitler
- signed the Stresa Pact in 1935, a formal statement against German rearmament and a commitment to stand united against Germany
- on 4 September, a committee reported to the League that neither side could be held responsible for the Wal-Wal incident
- League put forward a plan that gave Mussolini some of Abyssinia, but he rejected it
- launched a full-scale invasion in October 1935, the Abyssinians were no match
- League banned arms sales, loans, imports, and exports of rubber, tin, and metals to Italy
- didn’t sanction oil, coal, iron, or steel, as they feared Americans wouldn’t support the sanctions, and members’ economic interests would be further damaged
- Suez Canal, the Italians’ main supply route to Abyssinia, which was owned by Britain and France, was not closed, which could have ended the Abyssinian campaign very quickly
- Britain and France feared that closing the canal risked war with Italy
- in December 1935, during sanctions discussions, British and French foreign ministers, Hoare and Laval, planned to give Mussolini two-thirds of Abyssinia
- details of the plan were leaked to the French press, causing uproar among the British and French public, resulting in the foreign ministers resigning
- Hitler marched his troops into the Rhineland, and there was no chance of getting the French to support sanctions against Italy; they were desperate to gain Italy’s support
- Italy had taken the capital of Abyssinia by May 1936, and the emperor was forced into exile
- Mussolini and Hitler signed the Rome-Berlin Axis in November 1936
22
Q
What were the reasons for the League’s failure? (7)
A
- weak powers, countries were unwilling to send their armies abroad to fight and enforce the League’s decisions, and the League did not have its own army
- absent members, the world’s leading economic power, the USA, had become isolationist, and non-members continued trading despite sanctions or bans
- slow decision-making, it took one year for the report on the Manchurian crisis to be written, and while the League discussed the Abyssinian crisis (10 months), Mussolini planned and executed a full-scale invasion.
- the Great Depression, countries were unwilling to impose economic sanctions, fearing it might damage their economies
- many countries now believed the Treaty of Versailles was unfair and allowed the German Navy to expand under the Anglo-German Naval Agreement
- members often acted in their own interests
- powerful members like Japan, Italy and Germany became more aggressive in the 30s as they began rearmament and invading weaker countries.
