| Aims of the league | avoid aggression between nations, facilitate disarmament, improve living and working conditions globally, enhance global co-operation through trade |
| what did USA want the LoN to look like | Like a world parliament – reps of countries to meet and discuss matters that affected them all |
| what did UK what the LoN to look like | Simple, to meet only in times of emergency |
| what did France what the LoN to look like | Strong with its own army |
| rules of the league | - all major nations to join (except Germany and Russia because they were communist)
- members to disarm
- accept all decisions made by League,
- if one country had a problem with another, take it to the league
- if any member went to war, other members would stop trade with them and send troops if necessary |
| why did the USA never join the league | It was seen as linked to the TOV, deemed unfair by many Americans, Isolationism, they had no need to join because the WW1 had made them rich and powerful, they wanted to trade, congress did not approve, isolationist policy |
| 5 main areas of the league | - The Assembly
- The Council
- The Permanent Court of International Justice
- The Secretariat
- The International Labour Organisation (ILO) |
| The assembly | league's parliament, every league country sent a representative, votes on new members the budget and main agenda, met once a year, decisions had to be unanimous |
| the council | This was designed to settle major disputes and had 4 permanent members (Britain, France, Italy and Japan) as well as temporary members voted in by the Assembly. Each permanent member had a veto, whilst the Council could also administer economic sanctions or muster an international force if agreed |
| The Permanent Court of Justice | This was the League's court. It was the Court which would give decisions on border disputes, and passed any laws. It also gave legal advice to the Assembly and Council. Primarily, its responsibility came in upholding or amending peace treaties. |
| the secretariat | kept records of the league's meetings and prepared reports for the different agencies of the league |
| the ILO | brought together employers, governments and workers representatives once a year and its aim was to improve conditions of working people throughout the world, it collected information and advised governments |
| the leagues 4 commissions | the mandates commission, refugees committee, slavery commission, health committee |
| the mandates commission | the peace settlements had led to countries losing their overseas colonies to countries like Britain and France, commission to report on how people in those ex-colonies were being treated, made sure Britain, France, etc. were looking after the people, not acting in their own interests |
| the refugees committee | looked after WW1 refugees, some trying to get back home, others had no home to get to, particularly important in eastern Europe |
| the slavery commission | worked to abolish slavery worldwide, particular issue in East Africa
also many workers who weren’t slaves but were treated very poorly |
| the health committee | educate people about health and sanitation, making vaccines accessible |
| the mandates commission successes | this made sure former German and Austro-Hungarian colonies were run smoothly after WW1 |
| the refugee committee successes | made it easier for refugees to travel using the nansen passport, 400,000 prisoners were returned home, very successful in Turkey with stamping out cholera and smallpox in camps, however they were constantly short of funds |
| the slavery commission successes | freed 200,000 slaves in Sierra Leone, organised raids against slave owners, bought the death rate of African workers from 50 percent down to 4 |
| the health committee successes | it sponsored research into infectious diseases, important for helping to develop vaccines and medicines to fight deadly diseases, even the USSR took advice from the health committee, its work was used to form WHO |
| ILO successes | banned poisonous lead paint. introduced the 48-hour week, reduces hours small children worked, didn't have a lot of funds so could only name and shame countries that broke the rules however they were still influential |
| boarder dispute successes in the 1920 | Aaland islands, Upper Silesia, Bulgaria |
| about the Aaland islands | Sweden invaded this tiny collection of Scandinavian islands. Finland appealed to the league, both sides were threatening to go to war, they discussed the situation with both countries, before deciding it should remain with Finland. |
| about upper Silesia | This Polish-dominated part of Germany was allowed to hold a plebiscite on who to belong to. The vote was close, so it was divided along regional lines. Everyone was happy |
| about Bulgaria | 1925 Greek troops invaded Bulgaria after some Greek soldiers were killed, so Bulgaria appealed for help. the League demanded both sides stand their forces down and Greek soldiers withdraw from Bulgaria. The league sent assessors and sided with Bulgaria and Greece paid 45,000 in compensation. Greek obeyed |
| failures of the leages boarder disputes | Vilna, Corfu, Geneva protocol |
| about Vilna | 1920 Poland and Lithuania both wanted the city of Vilna. Poland then marched their troops in. The league called for a plebiscite. Poland disagreed and it didn’t happen. Lithuania remained in a state of war with Poland until 1927 |
| about corfu | Albania and Greece were having a border dispute. Italian league representatives were sent out. When one –Tellini—was murdered in Greek territory, Italy retaliated by bombing Corfu! They demanded compensation. league agreed and Greece had to pay it |
| difference between Bulgaria and Corfu | Corfu - Greece killed Italy person, Italy invaded, Greece paid
Bulgaria - Bulgaria killed Greek person, Greece invaded, Greece paid |
| Geneva protocol | Britain and France created it, and it shows that is 2 league members were in a dispute they asked the League for help. There was a change in government and the new one didn't sign it, worried that Britain would be forced to agree to something not in its interests. |
| The great depression effects (4) | - In Italy, economic problems encouraged Mussolini to try to build an overseas empire
- important political changes within countries like how poor economy led people to elect the Nazi's to solve economic and social problems
-LoN were more worried about their economy than internation disputes
- USA declined to endorse sanctions, given the state of its own trade |
| Manchuria's invasion 1 | in 1931 Chinese troops agedly attacked the south Manchurian railway which the Japanese army controlled, Japan used this as an excuse to invade and set up a government in Manchuria. Japan's civilian government protested, but the military were now in charge |
| China appealing | China appealed to the League, but Japan told the League it was simply a local dispute. The League had to act. Unfortunately, they sent Lord Lytton as their reporter on a boat. It took him a year to get to Manchuria; September 1932 |
| Outcome of the League getting to Manchuria | Lytton quickly concluded that Japan had been in the wrong and that Manchuria was rightfully Japanese. The League decided to take it to a vote, whilst Japan just pressed on deeper into China. The vote came out in favour of China. Disgusted, the Japanese government stormed out of the League and invaded jehol |
| The league responds to Jehol invasion | sanctions were discussed, but nobody wanted to after the depression and without the USA it would be useless. They were worried Japan would be mad about any sanctions and would retaliate, only USA or USSR had the resources to remove Japan and they weren't member. |
| why did disarmament fail | no country wanted to be the first to disarm |
| why did Mussolini invade Abyssinia | raw materials and an empire to fund his ever-growing military, glory, revenge as Italy tried to invade years before |
| how Abyssinia crisis started | dispute between Italy and Abyssinia at the Wal-Wal oasis inside Abyssinia and Mussolini claimed it was Italian land and began preparing his army for invasion, so Abyssinia appealed to the league |
| The league and Mussolini "dealing" with the dispute | between Jan 1935 - Oct 1935 Mussolini was supposedly negotiating with the league to settle the dispute, but he was shipping his army to Abyssinia. Britain and France pretended not to notice because they wanted an ally against the increasingly militaristic Hitler. In fact, they even signed the Stressa Pact between them all promising to stand up to German aggression |
| public outrage about Mussolinis actions | majority of British people supporting using military forces to defend Abyssinia if necessary. British politicians started to act tough as there was an election soon. British foreign minister Hoare made a speech about value of security to please nations however the League did nothing to try stop Mussolini |
| league proposes a plan to Mussolini | after 8 months of deliberation a committee reported nobody was to blame for Wal-Wal and the league put a plan in place to give Mussolini some of Abyssinia, but he rejected it |
| Sanctions on italy | A committee formed to pick fair sanctions when Mussolini began a full-scale invasion of Abyssinia in Oct 1935 and it was clear that Italy was stronger. The league banned loans, imports, and sales of arms to Italy. The league put off a decision on the oil export sanctions as it could harm the economy by fewer and the USA might not be in support it. Britain and France, who controlled the Suez Canal, chose not to block it to Italy's supply ships, though doing so may have ended it fast, Because they felt that it might start a war with Italy. |
| Hoare-Laval pact | Hoare and Laval plead with Mussolini behind the scenes, promising to give him 2/3rds of it in exchange for calling off the invasion but Selassie didn't agree to this. The Plan is leaked and they were both sacked. the league worked out if they stopped oil sales it could work, but it was too late and USA would not have supported it due to the pact and instead sent more oil to Italy |
| outcomes of abysinnia | The french were afraid as Hitler had occupied the Rhineland and were desperate to gain the support of Italy and were prepared to give them all of Abyssinia but by May 1936 Italy had taken Abyssinia and haile Selassie was forced into exile |
| implications of Abyssinia on the league | collective security had failed, and so had the league. British and French hoped that how they handled Abyssinia would strengthen their position against Hitler, but this was clearly not the way as Hitler and Mussolini signed the rome-berlin axis in Nov 1936 |
| how the league was a success | Commissions work
Small disputes
Global Trade |
| how the league wasn't a success | Disarmament
Aggression
Self-interest |
