The Collapse of the League of Nations in the 1930s

What caused the League of Nations to collapse in the 1930s?

The League of Nations ceased to be a peace-keeping organisation after its failures in Manchuria and Abyssinia.

What events led to the collapse of the League of Nations?

The influence of the League had been declining since the 1920s, when it failed to deal with events in places such as Corfu, Upper Silesia, Vilna, and Bulgaria. However, it was the events in Manchuria and Abyssinia that triggered the collapse of the League.

Why did events in Manchuria lead to the collapse of the League of Nations?

Many historians argue that the League's ineffectiveness of dealing with the crisis in Manchuria led to its collapse, because it highlighted the following weaknesses:

• ❖ The League was unable to deal with the effects of the Depression and to help its member nations. The Japanese economy was crushed and there was nothing the League could do to support them.
• ❖ The League was powerless without an army. Japan did not do what the League demanded, and there was nothing the League could do about it.
• ❖ Economic sanctions did not work. If the League were to impose sanctions Japan would have still been able to trade with the USA, so sanctions were pointless.
• ❖ The League lacked important world leaders such as the USA and the USSR. Many Europeans felt Manchuria was not their neighbour so not their problem, and sanctions were pointless since America was Japan's main trading partner.
• ❖ Britain and France dominated the League. They failed to act quickly to the events in Manchuria because they did not see it to be in their interests, as it was so far away.

Why did events in Abyssinia lead to the collapse of the League of Nations?

Many historians argue that the League's ineffectiveness of dealing with the crisis in Abyssinia was the final nail in the coffin, and led to its collapse, because it highlighted the following weaknesses:

• ❖ The League was unable to deal with the effects of the Depression. Italy's motives in the invasion lay in the effects of the Depression, and the League was unable to help them recover economically.
• ❖ The League was powerless without an army. Mussolini used chemical weapons on the Abyssinians, and there was no member that would commit its army to defend Abyssinia.
• ❖ Economic sanctions did not work. If the League were to impose sanctions Japan would have still been able to trade with the USA, so sanctions were pointless.
• ❖ The League lacked important world leaders such as the USA and Germany. Britain and France were desperate to keep Mussolini as an ally against Germany, and economic sanctions were pointless as Italy could still trade with the USA.
• ❖ Britain and France dominated the League. Mussolini was empowered to act by the fact that Britain and France had huge empires themselves; and both countries failed to take key actions such as closing the Suez canal. They also struck secret deals in order to protect their own interests.

Why did the League of Nations collapse?

The events in Manchuria and Abyssinia were two key trigger causes for the collapse of the League. However, there were also a number of long and short term causes.

• ❖ In the short term, the Depression created a climate in which international cooperation declined, while a rise in nationalism led to situations whereby peace-keeping was needed. The League was not able to cope with the effects of the Depression.
• ❖ When dealing with international disputes the League did not have many options at its disposal. One option was economic sanctions, and time and again these had proved ineffective.
• ❖ The League was structurally weak. The absence of powerful countries such as the USA undermined its role on a number of occasions.
• ❖ A further structural weakness was its slow and inefficient decision-making. For example, it look over 18 months for Lord Lytton to report his findings on the Mukden incident in Manchuria.
• ❖ The work of the League was consistently undermined by the self interests of dominant nations such as Britain and France. Both saw the League, from its creation, as little more than a place to discuss ideas.

What was the impact of the collapse of the League of Nations?

There were 3 important impacts of the collapse of the League of Nations.

• ❖ It had a big impact on international relations.
• ❖ There was no longer anyone to police the world, and dictators were free to continue with their aggressive foreign policy.
• ❖ It led to the Second World War.