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History > KQ2: To What Extent Was The League Of Nations A Success? > Flashcards

KQ2: To What Extent Was The League Of Nations A Success? Flashcards

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1
Q

What did Wilson want for the League?

A

A kind of world Parliament for discussion and international decisions.

Wilson’s vision emphasized a collaborative approach to international governance.

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2
Q

What was Britain’s preference for the League?

A

A simple organisation that would just get together in emergencies.

Britain favored a more pragmatic and less involved approach.

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3
Q

What did France desire for the League?

A

A strong League with its own army.

France’s position reflected its security concerns after World War I.

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4
Q

What kind of League was ultimately set up?

A

Wilson’s vision was adopted, involving:
* All major nations would join the League.
* International disarmament.
* Disputes taken to the League.
* Collective security.
* Economic sanctions on aggressive nations.
* Use of force against aggressive nations.

This structure aimed to prevent future conflicts through collaboration and deterrence.

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5
Q

What was the principle of collective security in the League?

A

Countries would come to each other’s aid if invaded.

This principle was intended to discourage aggression by ensuring mutual defense.

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6
Q

What could be imposed on aggressive nations?

A

Economic sanctions.

Sanctions were a non-military measure to deter aggression.

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7
Q

What criticisms were made of Wilson’s proposals?

A

Criticisms included:
* Arrogance in assuming he knew the solutions to Europe’s problems.
* Idealism regarding nations behaving in a civilized way.

These criticisms questioned the practical application of Wilson’s ideals.

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8
Q

Fill in the blank: Some thought Wilson was _______ for believing he had the solutions to Europe’s problems.

A

arrogant

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9
Q

True or False: Wilson’s League aimed to have a strong military presence.

A

False

Wilson’s vision emphasized disarmament rather than military strength.

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10
Q

What would deter countries from attacking others according to Wilson’s League?

A

The knowledge that the USA and other powerful nations would take economic or military action against them.

This deterrent was a core component of the League’s strategy.

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11
Q

Why was the League of Nations unpopular in the USA due to the Versailles Treaty?

A

Many Americans disliked the harsh terms of the treaty, especially German immigrants who felt it was unfair to Germany.

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12
Q

How did World War I influence American views on the League of Nations?

A

The devastation of WWI led many Americans to support isolationism and avoid future conflicts.

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13
Q

What economic concern made U.S. business leaders oppose the League?

A

They feared that involvement in global disputes would be costly and believed the U.S. prospered through isolation.

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14
Q

Why did some Americans distrust Britain and France’s role in the League?

A

They feared the U.S. would be dragged into wars to protect British and French colonial interests.

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15
Q

What happened when Wilson tried to get Congress to approve the League?

A

Congress rejected the League in 1919 and 1920, influenced by political opposition and isolationist sentiment.

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16
Q

What was the result of the 1920 U.S. presidential election on the League of Nations?

A

Warren Harding won by campaigning for isolationism, and the U.S. never joined the League.

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17
Q

What were the four main aims of the League of Nations?

A
  1. Discourage aggression by any nation
    1. Encourage international cooperation
    2. Promote disarmament
    3. Improve global living and working conditions
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18
Q

Why were Britain and France weak leaders of the League?

A

They were weakened by WWI, lacked resources, and had doubts about the League’s effectiveness without the USA.

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19
Q

What were Britain and France’s priorities that distracted them from leading the League?

A

Rebuilding trade, managing colonial empires, and (for France) containing Germany outside the League framework.

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20
Q

What was the role of the Assembly in the League of Nations?

A

One representative per nation; recommended actions, voted on new members and budget; met once a year; decisions had to be unanimous.

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21
Q

What was the role of the Council in the League of Nations?

A

Met five times a year and in emergencies; 4 permanent members (Britain, France, Italy, Japan) with veto power; resolved disputes through discussion, sanctions, or force.

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22
Q

What was the Permanent Court of International Justice?

A

Based in The Hague; judged disputes and advised the League; had no power to enforce rulings.

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23
Q

What was the Secretariat in the League of Nations?

A

The civil service of the League; kept records, wrote reports, arranged interpreters and admin.

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24
Q

What was the International Labour Organisation (ILO)?

A

Included workers, employers, and governments; worked to improve working conditions and make recommendations globally.

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25
What were the Special Commissions in the League of Nations?
Included the Mandates Commission, Refugees Committee, Slavery Commission, and Health Committee.
26
What was the Conference of Ambassadors?
Not officially part of the League, but closely linked; led by Britain, France, and Italy; settled some border disputes.
27
What happened in the Vilna dispute (1920)?
Poland occupied Vilna (Lithuanian capital); League ordered withdrawal but took no action; Poland kept Vilna.
28
What happened in the Upper Silesia dispute (1921)?
League held a plebiscite; industrial areas to Germany, rural to Poland; both accepted the result.
29
What happened in the Aaland Islands dispute (1921)?
Sweden and Finland disputed control; League ruled in favor of Finland; Sweden accepted.
30
What happened during the Corfu Incident (1923)?
Italy occupied Corfu after soldiers were killed in Greece; League condemned Italy, but Greece paid compensation; Italy withdrew after diplomatic pressure. french troops occupied in Ruhr, did not want to get involved. Greece had to apologise
31
What was the Geneva Protocol (1924)?
Plan for all League disputes to be settled by Council decision; Britain refused to sign after Conservative election win.
32
What happened in the Bulgaria dispute (1925)?
Greece invaded after a border clash; League ordered withdrawal and compensation; Greece complied but protested double standards.
33
How did the League help refugees?
Returned 400,000 prisoners; set up camps in Turkey in 1922; helped prevent disease outbreaks.
34
How did the League improve working conditions?
ILO banned white lead in paint, limited child labor; tried to set 48-hour week and 8-hour day, but few countries agreed.
35
How did the League work on global health?
Fought leprosy, malaria, and yellow fever; helped USSR prevent a plague outbreak in Siberia.
36
How did the League improve transport?
Issued recommendations on shipping lane markings and created an international highway code.
37
To what extent was Vilna a success?
Failure - didn’t follow covenant and did nothing, members didn’t want to help (Britain and France)
38
To what extent was Upper Silesia a success?
Success - both countries accepted, not fair, but dispute was solved and no further action required.
39
To what extent was Aaland Islands a success?
Success - avoided conflict, achieved aims, everyone happy, settled
40
To what extent was Corfu a success?
Big failure, Greece fit completely unfair terms, sanctions did not work, Mussolini did it for power and he got it.
41
To what extent was Bulgaria a success?
Success - fast acting, peace kept, no further conflict. However it escalated tension and double standard ideas.
42
How did the League of Nations tackle illegal drug trade and slavery?
Blacklisted 4 major companies involved in illegal drug trade; freed 200,000 slaves in British Sierra Leone; raided slave owners in Burma; reduced death rate on Tanganyika railway from 50% to 4%; tracked drug trafficking, prostitution, and slavery.
43
What was achieved at the Washington Conference of 1921?
USA, Japan, Britain, and France agreed to limit the size of their navies.
44
Why did Britain reject the 1923 disarmament treaty plan?
Britain feared it would obligate them to defend other countries, so did not support the treaty.
45
What happened to the disarmament plans made in 1926?
A draft convention wasn’t produced until 1933, and it was rejected by Germany.
46
Which country was the only one to disarm to any significant extent?
Germany
47
What were the Locarno Treaties of 1925?
Signed by France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Belgium, and Poland; Germany accepted its borders with France and Belgium, demilitarized the Rhineland, and agreed to settle disputes through the League.
48
How did the Locarno Treaties affect France’s sense of security?
German goodwill from the treaties helped France feel more secure.
49
What was the outcome of the Locarno Treaties for Germany and the League?
Germany joined the League of Nations in 1926.
50
Which major power remained outside the League after the Locarno Treaties?
USSR
51
What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928?
Signed by 65 nations who condemned war as a way to resolve disputes, though self-defense was still permitted.
52
Why was the Kellogg-Briand Pact seen as a turning point?
It was hailed as a major moment of peace and progress, aimed at making war obsolete.
53
What major flaw did the Kellogg-Briand Pact have?
It didn’t include any enforcement mechanism if a country broke the pact.
54
How did the Dawes Plan (1924) support international cooperation?
It helped stabilize Germany’s economy, which benefited British and French economies as well.
55
How did U.S. loans impact European recovery in the 1920s?
They funded rebuilding of European industries, boosted employment, increased trade, and led to further economic growth.
56
How did economic recovery reduce international tensions?
The restoration of trade relationships helped to ease hostilities between nations.
57
What remained beneath the surface of international cooperation in the 1920s?
There was still deep bitterness, especially between France and Germany, despite appearances of unity.
58
Why was over-reliance on treaties considered naïve in the 1920s?
Because aggressive leaders like Hitler and Mussolini later ignored such treaties, proving they were not enforceable.
59
What limitation did the Locarno Treaties have?
They only guaranteed Germany’s borders with France and Belgium—not with Poland or Czechoslovakia.
60
Why was the League’s ability to handle border disputes questionable after Locarno?
Because there was no clear plan or commitment to protect Poland or Czechoslovakia from potential German aggression.
61
What was a major issue with disarmament in the 1920s?
There was very little progress—only Germany had disarmed to any significant extent.
62
What caused the Great Depression?
The 1929 Wall Street Crash triggered a global economic depression, damaging trade and industry worldwide, reducing U.S. loans to Europe, causing bankruptcies and unemployment, and prompting protectionist tariffs that reduced international trade even more.
63
How did the Great Depression harm the work of the League of Nations?
It increased support for extremists like the Nazis in Germany, led to Japanese and Italian aggression, and made nations like Britain and the USA reluctant to support sanctions or interventions due to their own economic troubles.
64
Why did the Japanese invade Manchuria in 1931?
The Depression hurt Japan’s economy, and army leaders saw invasion as a solution. They used an incident at the South Manchurian Railway as an excuse and took control, ignoring orders from the Japanese government.
65
What did Japan claim about its invasion of Manchuria?
Japan claimed it was acting in self-defense and to maintain peace in the region due to Chinese anarchy.
66
How did the League respond to the Japanese invasion of Manchuria?
The League delayed its report until September 1932, ruled the invasion illegal in the Lytton Report, and recommended returning Manchuria to China. Japan rejected the findings, left the League in 1933, and continued expanding.
67
Why didn’t the League take stronger action against Japan?
Sanctions were weak without U.S. involvement, Britain wanted good relations with Japan, and only the USA and USSR had Pacific strength—neither were League members. Members feared Japan would retaliate.
68
What was the significance of the Manchuria Crisis?
It proved the League was powerless to stop aggressive nations, encouraged Hitler and Mussolini, and marked a turning point in the League’s credibility.
69
What progress was made toward disarmament from 1932 to 1934?
A disarmament conference proposed banning bombings and chemical weapons, but collapsed when Hitler withdrew Germany from both the conference and the League in 1933, and other nations began rearming.
70
Why did Italy invade Abyssinia in 1935?
Mussolini wanted revenge for Italy’s 1896 defeat, sought fertile land and resources, aimed for Roman Empire-style glory, and wanted to distract Italians from economic problems.
71
What excuse did Italy use to invade Abyssinia?
A border dispute at Wal Wal oasis; Mussolini claimed it was Italian territory and launched an invasion after the League failed to resolve the issue.
72
How did the League initially respond to Abyssinia’s appeal for help?
Britain and France stalled to maintain ties with Mussolini, signed the Stresa Pact, made speeches about security, but failed to take firm action, and their proposal to give Italy part of Abyssinia was rejected.
73
What sanctions did the League impose on Italy during the Abyssinian Crisis?
Banned arms sales, loans, and imports from Italy, and export of some goods, but failed to ban oil or close the Suez Canal—critical supply routes remained open.
74
What was the Hoare-Laval Pact?
A secret plan by British and French ministers to give Mussolini most of Abyssinia in exchange for stopping the invasion; when leaked, it caused public outrage and led to both ministers being sacked.
75
Why didn’t Britain and France act to stop Mussolini?
They feared economic damage, U.S. non-support, conflict with Italy, and wanted Italy as an ally against Hitler—especially after Hitler’s 1936 Rhineland move.
76
What were the consequences of Italy’s invasion of Abyssinia?
Italy conquered Abyssinia; the League’s promise of collective security was discredited; it lost all credibility; Hitler was emboldened; and Mussolini joined Hitler in the Rome-Berlin Axis.
77
Why did the League of Nations fail in the 1930s?
Due to the self-interest of Britain and France, non-membership of key powers (like the USA), weak sanctions, lack of military force, reliance on unpopular treaties, and slow, unanimous decision-making.

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