The Manchurian Crisis, The Failure of Disarmament in the 1930s and Abyssinia Flashcards
(39 cards)
1
Q
Invasion 1, 1931
A
- In 1931 an incident in Manchuria gave Japan the ideal opportunity to invade
- The Japanese army controlled the South Manchurian Railway
- When Chinese troops allegedly attacked the railway the Japanese armed forces used this as an excuse to invade and set up a government in Manchukuo (Manchuria), which they controlled
2
Q
What did China do in response to the Japanese invasion?
A
- China appealed to the League for help
- Japanese argued that China was in such a state of anarchy that they had to invade in self-defence to keep peace in that area!
- Serious test for the League since Japan was a leading member of the League
3
Q
What did the League do?
A
- The League’s officials sailed round the world to assess the situation in Manchuria
- It was September 1932, a year after the invasion before they presented their report
- Japan had acted unlawfully and Manchuria should be returned to the Chinese
4
Q
Invasion 2, 1933
A
- In February 1933, instead of withdrawing from Manchuria the Japanese announced that they intended to invade more of China
- Argued that this was necessary for self-defence
- On 24th February 1933, the report from the League’s officials was approved by 42 votes to 1 in the Assembly
- Only Japan voted against!
- So Japan resigned from the League on 27th March 1933
- Invaded Jehol (China) next
5
Q
How did the League respond to Japan’s second invasion? (Card 1)
A
- League was powerless
- Discussed economic sanctions, but without the USA, Japan’s main trading partner, they would be meaningless
- League discussed banning arms sales (military goods and services) to Japan, but the member countries couldn’t even agree about that
6
Q
How did the League respond to Japan’s second invasion? (Card 2)
A
- They were worried that Japan would retaliate and the war would escalate
- Britain and France weren’t going to risk their navies or armies in a war with Japan
- Only the USA and USSR could remove the Japanese from Manchuria by force, yet they weren’t even members of the League
7
Q
What were the consequences of the Manchurian crisis?
A
- Excuses were offered for the failure of the League
- E.g. Japan was so far away, Japan was a special case, Japan did have a point when it said that China was itself in the grip of anarchy
- Significant event
- As many critics had predicted, the League was powerless if a strong nation decided to pursue an aggressive policy and invade its neighbours
- Japan had committed blatant aggression and gotten away with it
8
Q
What happened during the Disarmament Conference?
A
- The Conference happened in February 1932
- By July 1932 it had produced resolutions to prohibit bombing of civilian populations, limit the size of the artillery, limit the tonnage of tanks and prohibit chemical warfare
- But there was very little in the resolutions to show how these limits would be achieved
- Attempts to abolish planes capable of bombing were defeated
- The proposal to ban the manufacture of chemical weapons was defeated
9
Q
What was the League’s disarmament conflict with Germany?
A
The League didn’t know whether everyone else should disarm to the level that Germany had been forced to, or whether the Germans should be allowed to rearm to a level closer to that of the other powers.
10
Q
Germany and Disarmament: July 1932
A
Germany proposed all countries to disarm to its level. When the Conference failed to agree to this principle of ‘equality’, the Germans walked out.
11
Q
Germany and Disarmament: September 1932
A
The British sent the Germans a note that went some way to agreeing equality, but the superior tone of the note angered the Germans.
12
Q
Germany and Disarmament: December 1932
A
An agreement was finally reached to treat Germany equally.
13
Q
Germany and Disarmament: January 1933
A
Germany announced it was coming back to the Conference. (This is the Disarmament Conference, not the Conference of Ambassadors)
14
Q
Germany and Disarmament: February 1933
A
Hitler became the CHANCELLOR of Germany and he secretly started to rearm Germany immediately.
15
Q
Germany and Disarmament: May 1933
A
Hitler promised not to rearm Germany if ‘in five years all other nations destroyed their arms.’ (Military goods and services)
16
Q
Germany and Disarmament: June 1933
A
Britain produced an ambitious disarmament plan, but it failed to achieve support at the Conference.
17
Q
Germany and Disarmament: October 1933
A
Hitler withdrew from the Disarmament Conference, and soon after took Germany out of the League.
18
Q
When did Germany leave the League?
A
October 1933
19
Q
When did the Disarmament Conference end?
A
1934
20
Q
Why did the Disarmament Conference fail?
A
- Many reasons
- Britain and France were divided on this issue
- By 1933 many British people felt that the TOV was unfair
- To the dismay of the French, the British signed an agreement with Germany in 1935 that allowed Germany to build up its navy as long as it stayed under the size of the British navy
- This violated the TOV but Britain didn’t even consult its allies or the League about this
- It seemed each country was looking after itself and ignoring the League
21
Q
When did Mussolini invade Abyssinia?
A
1935
22
Q
How was the Abyssinian invasion similar to the Manchurian Crisis?
A
- Like Japan, Italy was a leading member of the League
- Like Japan, Italy wanted to expand its empire by invading another country
23
Q
How was the Abyssinian invasion different to the Manchurian Crisis?
A
- Unlike Manchuria, this dispute was on the League’s doorstep (Italy was physically closer)
- Italy was a European power
- Even had a border with France
- The League couldn’t claim that this problem was in an inaccessible part of the world
24
Q
Where was Abyssinia?
A
Abyssinia bordered on the Anglo-Egyptian territory of Sudan and the British colonies of Uganda, Kenya and British Somaliland.
25
Why did Mussolini invade Abyssinia? (Card 1)
- In 1896, in the previous century, Italian troops had tried to invade Abyssinia but had been defeated by a poorly equipped army of tribesmen
- Mussolini wanted revenge for this humiliating defeat
- He had his eyes on the fertile land and mineral wealth of Abyssinia
- He wanted glory and conquest most of all
26
Why did Mussolini invade Abyssinia? (Card 2)
- In December 1934 there was a dispute between Italian and Abyssinian soldiers at the Wal-Wal oasis inside Abyssinia
- Mussolini took his cue and claimed this was actually Italian territory
- Demanded an apology and began preparing the Italian army for an investigation of Abyssinia
- Haile Selassie appealed to the League for help
27
Phase 1: the League plays for time (Card 1)
- From January 1935 to October 1935, Mussolini was supposedly negotiating with the League to settle the dispute
- At the same he was shipping his vast army to Africa and whipping up war fever in the Italian people
- British and French failed to take the situation seriously and played for time
- Desperate to keep good relations with Mussolini who seemed to be their strongest ally against Hitler
28
What was the Stresa Pact, 1935?
- The Stresa Pact was an agreement between Britain, France, and Italy signed in 1935
- It was a formal statement against German rearmament and a commitment to stand united against Germany
- At the meeting to discuss this, they didn't even raise the question of Abyssinia
- Some historians suggest that Mussolini believed that Britain and France had promised to turn a blind eye to his exploits in Abyssinia in return for his joining them in the Stresa Pact
29
Phase 1: the League plays for time (Card 2)
- As the year wore on, there was a public outcry against Italy's behaviour
- A ballot was taken by the LON Union in Britain in 1934-35
- Majority of British people supported the use of MILITARY FORCE to defend Abyssinia if necessary
- At an assembly of the League, the British foreign minister, Hoare, made a grand speech about the value of collective security, to the delight of the League's members
30
Phase 1: the League plays for time (Card 3)
- The L never actually did anything to discourage Mussolini
- On 4th September, a committee reported to the League that neither side could be held responsible for the Wal-Wal incident
- The League put forward a plan that would give Mussolini some of Abyssinia but he rejected it
31
Phase 2: sanctions or not? (Card 1)
- In October 1935 Mussolini's army was ready
- Launched a full-scale invasion of Abyssinia
- Abyssinians were no match for the modern Italian army equipped with tanks, aeroplanes and poison gas
- The League was designed for these types of disputes and, unlike in the Manchurian crisis, it was ideally placed to act
- Serious issue
32
Phase 2: sanctions or not? (Card 2)
- The Covenant made it clear that sanctions must be introduced against the aggressor
- A committee was immediately set up to decide the sanctions
- However, each week a decision was delayed, this gave Mussolini time to build up his stockpile of raw materials
- League banned arms sales to Italy
- Banned loans and the export of rubber, tin and metals
33
Phase 2: sanctions or not? (Card 3)
- The L delayed a decision for two months over whether to ban oil exports in Italy since they feared the Americans wouldn't support the sanctions
- Feared that its member's economic interests would be further damaged
- In Britain, about 30,000 coal miners were about to lose their jobs because of the ban on coal exports to Italy
- The Suez Canal, owned by B and F, wasn't closed to Mussolini's supply ships and this canal was Italy's main supply route to Abyssinia
- Both B and F were afraid that closing the canal would result in war with Italy
34
What was the Hoare-Laval Pact? (Card 1)
- Secret dealing between the British and French
- In December 1935, while sanction discussions were going on, the British and French foreign ministers, Hoare and Laval, were hatching a plan
- This aimed to give Mussolini two-thirds of Abyssinia in return for his calling off his invasion!
35
What was the Hoare-Laval Pact? (Card 2)
- Laval told the British that if they didn't agree to the plan, the French would no longer support sanctions against Italy
- Plan was leaked to the French press
- It was seen as a blatant act of treachery against the League
- Hoare and Laval were both sacked
- The sanctions discussions lost all momentum
36
What happened with the oil sanctions conflict?
- Delayed
- In February 1936 the committee concluded that if they did stop oil sales to Italy, the Italians' supplies would be exhausted in two months, even if the Americans continued to sell oil to them
- It was all too late though
- Mussolini had already taken over large parts of Abyssinia
- Americans no longer properly supported the L and stepped up their oil exports to Italy
37
The outcomes (Card 1)
- On 7th March 1936 a fatal blow was delivered
- Hitler, timing himself well, marched his troops into the RHINELAND which was an act prohibited by the Treaty of Versailles
- If there was any hope of getting the French to support sanctions against Italy, it was all gone now
- The French were desperate to gain support of Italy against German aggression directly on their border
- They were prepared to pay the price of giving Abyssinia to Mussolini
38
The outcomes (Card 2)
- By May 1936 Italy had taken over the capital, Addis Ababa
- Haile Selassie was forced into exile and Mussolini formally annexed (took over) the entire country
- The League watched helplessly
- Collective security had been shown up as an empty promise
- The League of Nations had failed
39
The outcomes (Card 3)
- If the British and French had hoped their handling of the Abyssinian crisis would help strengthen their position against Hitler, they were soon proved wrong
- In November 1936 Mussolini and Hitler signed an agreement of their own called the Rome-Berlin Axis
