The Successes and Failures of the League of Nations in the 1920s

What were the successes and failures of the League in the 1920s?

The League of Nations had both successes and failures in the 1920s when dealing with disputes in order to keep peace and stability in the world.

Where was the League of Nations' actions successful when dealing with disputes in the 1920s?

The League of Nations was successful in their actions when dealing with the following disputes:

• ❖ The Upper Silesia dispute between Poland and Germany.
• ❖ The dispute over the Aaland Islands between Sweden and Finland in the 1920s.

Where did the League of Nations' actions fail when dealing with disputes in the 1920s?

The League of Nations' actions failed when dealing with the following disputes:

• ❖ A dispute over Vilna between Poland and Germany,
• ❖ A dispute between Greece and Italy in Corfu.
• ❖ A dispute between Bulgaria and Greece in the 1920s.

Why did the League of Nations' actions sometimes fail to deal with disputes in the 1920s?

Some historians argue that despite the League's best intentions they failed more often than they succeeded. There are several reasons for failure:

• ❖ The League had no army of their of their own so if countries refused to follow their actions they needed the support of the powerful members of the League to deploy their own armies.
• ❖ The League was governed by British and French self interest; it didn't always do the right thing.
• ❖ The Wall Street Crash and the onset of the Great Depression led to a decline in international cooperation.
• ❖ The structure of the League of Nations meant it was slow to react and very bureaucratic and the votes needed to be unanimous.
• ❖ Other international organisations such as the 'Conference of Ambassadors' had a greater influence than the League of Nations.