The League of Nations

What was the League of Nations?

The League of Nations was an international organisation that aimed to make the world more peaceful. It provided a platform for countries to solve the issues that might lead to war.

Whose idea was the League of Nations?

There were 3 important individuals that put the League of Nations together.

• ❖ President Wilson originally drafted his ideas about the League of Nations in his 14 Points at the end of the First World War.
• ❖ Jan Smuts of South Africa was involved in the discussions, as was British politician Sir Robert Cecil.
• ❖ British prime minister David Lloyd George also contributed to the talks.

What were the aims of the League of Nations?

The League of Nations had a number of aims.

• ❖ Its primary aim was to keep world peace, and solve disputes that might lead to war.
• ❖ It wanted to achieve world disarmament.
• ❖ It wanted to achieve global co-operation in trade.
• ❖ It aimed to improve the lives of people worldwide.

When was the League of Nations formed?

The League of Nations came into being in January 1920.

Where was the League of Nations based?

The League of Nations was based in Geneva, Switzerland. Switzerland was seen as a peaceful country and was also home to the headquarters of the Red Cross.

What was the Covenant of the 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 organised.

What were the problems with setting up the League of Nations?

The politicians who were responsible for setting up the League encountered some problems.

• ❖ The plans for the League were put together in a hurry.
• ❖ Critics felt the aims of the organisation were badly-defined or too idealistic.
• ❖ Britain wanted a simpler organisation that would only meet in emergencies, similar to the existing Conference of Ambassadors which oversaw the fulfilment of the peace settlement of the First World War.
• ❖ France wanted a strong league with its own army.
• ❖ American Congress decided the USA should not join the League.
• ❖ Other countries, such as the USSR and Germany, were not invited to join.

Why didn't the USA join the League of Nations?

There were 6 reasons the USA did not join the League of Nations.

• ❖ The idea of the League of Nations was unpopular in the USA.
• ❖ Many Americans, particularly those with German ancestry, hated the Treaty of Versailles. They did not want membership of an organisation set up to enforce it.
• ❖ After the casualties of the First World War, many Americans were afraid their soldiers would become involved in conflicts not directly related to America.
• ❖ The League's sanctions might hurt American trade.
• ❖ There were fears the League would be used to defend the British and French empires. Many Americans were anti-imperialist.
• ❖ Wilson was too ill to run for re-election in 1920 but the Republican candidate, Warren Harding, campaigned for American isolationism and a return to 'normalcy'. These ideas appealed to the electorate, who voted him in.

What did Britain think of the League of Nations?

David Lloyd George was critical of the League to being with. However, in March 1919 he issued the Fontainebleau Memorandum which gave it his full support.

What made Britain change its opinion the League of Nations?

The League was to run German colonies lost under the Treaty of Versailles as mandates. Historians have argued Britain saw this an an empire-building opportunity.

What did France think of the League of Nations?

France was supportive of any measure that would protect them from another German invasion.

How was the League of Nations organised?

The League was organised into 7 bodies that had different roles within it.

• ❖ The Secretariat.
• ❖ The Assembly of the League.
• ❖ The Council of the League.
• ❖ The Permanent Court of International Justice.
• ❖ The International Labour Organisation.
• ❖ The Commissions.
• ❖ A Council of Ambassadors existed between 1920 and 1931.

What were the weaknesses of the League of Nations?

The League had 7 weaknesses that meant it struggled to be effective.

• ❖ The USA was never a member of the League. It became isolationist after the Paris Peace Conference, meaning the League didn't have America's powerful and influential support.
• ❖ Germany wasn't allowed to join the League until 1926, which meant the organisation looked like a 'winner's club'. Germany left in 1933 after Adolf Hitler came to power.
• ❖ Soviet Russia wasn't invited to join the League until 1934, because it was communist.
• ❖ Along with France, Britain was one of the League's most influential and powerful members. However, it was mostly concerned with its empire rather than prioritising the League's principles.
• ❖ Along with Britain, France was one of the League's most influential and powerful members. However, the country was worried about maintaining its security against potential German aggression, rather than prioritising the League's principles.
• ❖ The League was slow to reach decisions as its Assembly only met once a year.
• ❖ The League had to rely on members donating their armies, as it didn't have its own. This made it weak against aggression.
• ❖ All decisions in the League had to be unanimous, so each country had an equal say. This meant just one country could veto an action being taken.

What was collective security in the League of Nations?

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.

What was collective security in the League of Nations also known as?

It was known as Article 10 in the Covenant of the League.

What were the powers of the League of Nations?

The League had three main powers at its disposal to keep the peace, based on the principles of collective security.

• ❖ Moral disapproval (also known as condemnation). If the Council voted to condemn the action of a country, it knew the weight of the world's opinion was on the League's side.
• ❖ Economic sanctions. If a country was aggressive, the Council could decide that League members would refuse to trade with it or lend it money. This is also known as being 'blacklisted'.
• ❖ Military sanctions. As a last resort, the Council could decide to send in an army of soldiers from member states.

Who were members of the League of Nations?

The League had many countries as members, but there were also some important non-members.

• ❖ The League had 42 member countries when it was first set up, and 59 by 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.
• ❖ Germany was allowed to join in 1926, but left to rearm in secret shortly after Hitler was appointed chancellor in 1933.
• ❖ The USSR was allowed to join in 1934.
• ❖ Japan, a permanent member of the Council of the League, left in 1933 after the Manchurian Crisis.
• ❖ During the 1920s, the League saw some significant successes.

What were the League of Nations' successes in the 1920s?

During the 1920s, the League saw some significant successes.

• ❖ It successfully solved disputes in the Aaland Islands, Teschen, Mosul and Bulgaria.
• ❖ The League largely changed the way countries dealt with one another, handled problems, and solved global disputes.
• ❖ The League gave confidence to smaller nations which could not protect themselves.
• ❖ The League was successful in rebuilding post-war Europe.
• ❖ The World Health Organisation ran many successful campaigns and set up research institutes.
• ❖ The Refugees' Commission successfully repatriated thousands of prisoners of war.
• ❖ The International Labour Organisation began to pave the way for workers' rights, offering a minimum wage and suggested work hours.
• ❖ The Slavery Commission worked to get rid of slavery and prostitution globally.
• ❖ The Economic and Financial Committee sent experts to help countries such as Austria and Hungary, whose economies were nearly bankrupt.
• ❖ The other commissions worked to improve life for people across the world.

What were the League of Nations' failures in the 1920s?

The League was not completely successful in the 1920s.

• ❖ Its decisions in disputes over Corfu and Vilna were seen as unfair, as was its failure to act over the Ruhr.
• ❖ The International Labour Organisation failed to force countries to introduce better working practices.
• ❖ The failure to disarm other nations was damaging to the League's reputation and caused even more resentment from Germany, which had been forced to disarm.
• ❖ The League showed itself to be biased towards larger, more powerful nations. This was clear during the Corfu crisis.
• ❖ The League's most powerful members, Britain and France, prioritised their own needs before those of the League.
• ❖ Without an army of its own, the League showed it could only use moral condemnation and sanctions to make a country back down.
• ❖ Some world problems required agreements outside of the League. For example, the Dawes Plan and the Locarno Pact demonstrated the League was not fully effective at dealing with the issue of Franco-German relations.

What were the League of Nations' successes in the 1930s?

The League had 2 important achievements in the 1930s:

• ❖ The Saar Commission successfully organised a plebiscite, where the population voted to reunite with Germany in 1935.
• ❖ The League successfully convened 26 nations to combat the dangerous selling of illegal drugs. This still functions today.

What were the League of Nations' failures in the 1930s?

The League's failures in the 1930s far outweighed its successes.

• ❖ With the global Depression after 1929, the League faced many challenges it had not previously encountered.
• ❖ The Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931 showed the League was slow to act and powerless. Although the League condemned Japan's actions, it could not do anything to stop them.
• ❖ Following the invasion of Manchuria, the Japanese withdrew from the League and continued to invade other parts of China. This was a huge embarrassment to the organisation.
• ❖ At the Disarmament Conference, Germany walked out early over unfair treatment. Although it later returned, Hitler secretly began to rearm. By October, Germany again withdrew from the conference, and shortly after from the League itself.
• ❖ The Disarmament Conference failed for many reasons, as few members seriously considered disarming. It also saw Britain and France were divided on what to do with Germany.
• ❖ Mussolini's invasion of Abyssinia in 1935 was the final blow to the League of Nations. Once again it was slow to act and did little to discourage Italian aggression, wanting to retain an ally against Hitler.
• ❖ Equally damaging was the secret deal created by the British and French foreign ministers, Hoare and Laval. They planned to offer Mussolini two thirds of Abyssinia in return for his withdrawal. They didn't consult the League or the Abyssinian emperor, or seek approval, first.
• ❖ As a result of the Abyssinian Crisis, the League was viewed as insignificant in international affairs from then on.

What were the League of Nations' overall successes?

The League had mixed success in its lifetime and did solve some disputes in the 1920s. Overall, the League's biggest success came from commissions that sought to fix global issues.

What were the League of Nations' overall failures?

The League fell very short of Wilson's ideal. It was weakened by a lack of key members and an army of its own. This, along with the Depression and the self-interest of France and Britain, meant it was unprepared for dealing with aggressive nations in the 1930s.

What did the different parts of the League of Nations do?

The League consisted of several bodies that each performed a different function:

• ❖ The Secretariat was the League's civil service.
• ❖ The Assembly was a big meeting of all member countries to make important decisions about the League, and was effectively its parliament.
• ❖ The Council of the League was a smaller executive body which decided how the League would react to events.
• ❖ The Permanent Court of International Justice was a mostly independent body that reached legal decisions when countries had disputes.
• ❖ The International Labour Organisation was mostly independent and worked to improve working conditions in all its member countries.
• ❖ The Commissions were agencies set up by the League to tackle specific problems in member countries.
• ❖ The Council of Ambassadors was a group of important diplomats that had existed before the League was created. They represented the allied powers in issues around the peace settlements. It was dissolved in 1931.