The aim of the League

- Discourage aggression from any nation

- Encourage country to co-operate (Trade and Business)
- Encourage Nations to Disarm
- Improve living and working conditions of people
- Altitude of Big three toward League
▪ Wilson → world parliament
▪ Lloyd George → simple organization (like conference of ambassador)
▪ Clemenceau → strong league with it’s own army

Structure of League

- The Assembly
▪ Every country sent representative to League
▪ Met once a year
▪ Admit new members
▪ Appoint temporary member of council
▪ Met once a year
▪ Decision make by Assembly must be unanimous
- The Council
▪ Consists of permanent (Britain, France, Italy, Japan) and temporary members (4 →9)
▪ Permanent members got veto
▪ Met 4-5 times a year
▪ Control disputes between member countries
- The Secretariat
▪ Civil service for League
▪ Prepared report
▪ Had specialist area covering the health, disarmament and economic
- The Permanent Court of International Justice
▪ Located in Hague, Netherland
▪ Made up of Judges from member countries
▪ Give decision on border dispute when it was asked
▪ Give legal advice to council and assembly

How far did weaknesses in the League’s organization make failure inevitable?
- Membership
▪ Lack of major power like USA and USSR limit what League could do

USA

- Reason for not joining

▪ USA citizens wanted isolation
▪ League might drag USA into future wars
▪ Some American with German ancestors wasn’t happy with Treaty of Versailles
▪ Imposing sanction might affect US economy
▪ Didn’t want to be tool for France and Britain to defense their empire
▪ Republican president win election
- Effect on League
▪ Imposing sanctions aren’t effective enough
▪ Sending army could be unpowerful
 ▪ It let British and French to pursue its own interest rather than League

Germany (1926 → 1933)

- Reason for not joining

▪ Not allowed to join until 1926
▪ Leave in 1933 when Hitler become Chancellor
- Effect on League
▪ Portray League as club for victorious powers

USSR (1934 → 1939)

- Reason for not joining

▪ Ideological conflict between communism and capitalism
▪ Expel in 1939 for invasion of Finland (Non-Aggression Pact)
- Effect on League
▪ Lack of power balance
▪ Sanctions aren’t effective
▪ Arm force aren’t too powerful

Japan (1919 → 1933)

- Reason for Leaving

▪ Being criticize for Manchuria invasion in 1933
- Effect on League
▪ Prove that League can handle the disputes between member countries

Italy (1919 → 1936)

- Reason for Leaving

▪ Invasion of Abyssinia in 1936
- Effect on League
▪ Prove that League can handle the disputes between member countries

Britain and France (1919 – 1945)

- All time member of League

- Both countries are weakened by WW1
▪ Don’t have enough resources to run League
- Both countries pursue their self-interest
▪ Britain focus on its empire and rebuilding trade
▪ France only mind the future security for France against Germany

- Unanimous Decision
▪ It required all nations to be agreed for motion to be passed in Assembly or Council
▪ One negative vote from aggressor could make the motion fails
▪ It made the League difficult to take action over aggressive country

- Lack of Standing Army (offer by France)

▪ Difficult to impose military sanction
▪ Need to call the arm force of membership upon
▪ No guarantee that appropriate army will be provided
▪ Military action could never come true with powerful major aggressor country
How successful was the League in the 1920s?
**Historian Zara Steiner – The league was very effective in handling small changes of international diplomacy

Success of League
1. Solving minor disputes
Aaland Island (1921)

- Dispute between Sweden and Finland

- Most islander wanted to be ruled by Sweden
- League award island to Finland
- But give safeguard to islander
- Sweden accepted the judgement

Upper Silesia (1921)

- Between Germany and Poland

- It was granted to Poland according to Treaty of Versailles
- Germany protest
- Plebiscite was hold
- League suggest partition
- Industrial area was granted to Germany
- Rural area was given to Poland
- Both sides accept it

Bulgaria (1925)

- Dispute between Bulgaria and Greece

- Greek troops invaded Bulgaria
- League demanded Greece to withdraw forces from Bulgaria
- Britain and France solidly backed the League
- Pay compensation 45,000 pound
- Threaten to be sanctioned if did not follow
- Greek complain that League have one rule for large state and another for smaller one
- This make people forget about Corfu Incident
- Prove the effectiveness when great powers are united.

2. Social Works
Refugee organization

- Solve the problem of Refugees and former prisoners for WW1

- Fridjof Nansen was given responsibility
- Document ‘Nansen Passport’ introduced
- Help them to survive in new land
▪ Find suitable transport
▪ Setting up camps
▪ Teach them new trade skills
- Help around 400,000 refugees to return home
- The refugee crisis in Turkey, 1922 make hundred thousands of people to be place in refugee camp
- Problem → Difficult to raise fund due to tense international situations
Heath Organization

- **Most successful League agencies

- Link with non-member countries
▪ Soviet, Germany and USSR
▪ Provide assists on public health matter
- Hep Soviet to prevent Typhus
- Reduce spread of disease
▪ Leprosy
▪ Kill mosquitos to prevent malaria and yellow fever
- Sponsor research institute in Singapore and London
- Develop internationally accepted vaccine
- It became WHO in UN

Economic and Financial Council

- Provide Financial Assists to countries face economic problem after WW1

- For example, Austria
▪ Face the problem as small land-lock country relying on agriculture only
▪ League prepare the rescue plan
▪ Take action to stabilize currency
▪ Give substantial loans
▪ As a result, → Trade revived, Unemployment fell
- Did the same for Hungary, Greece and Bulgaria

International Labor Organization

- Banning poisonous lead in workforce

- Limiting hours that children allowed to work
- Improve working conditions
- Introduce maximum 8 hour working a day
- Problem → Lack of funds
- Couldn’t do more than name and shame
- Difficult for countries to ignore

Slavery Commission

- To abolish slavery
- Freeing 200,000 slave in British owned Sierra Leone
- Organize raid against slave owner in Burma
- Stop forcing women into prostitution
- Reduce death rate of Africa workers
- Iraq, Jordan, Nepal abolish slavery

Disarmament

- Call on all nation to disarm to lowest point

- By 1920 only defeated powers disarm
- Minor success some agreement (But didn’t reach until the disarmament)
▪ 1921 Washington Conference
Britain, France, USA and Japan agreed to limit their size of navies
▪ 1928 Kellogg-Briand Pact (Pact of Paris)
65 nation agree not to use force to settle disputes
- Failures
▪ Damage league reputation (no equality)
▪ No countries seem to be serious
▪ Prove impossible to disarm for all countries around the world

*It also developed the international mindset among leaders. It lead to collaborating rather than competing.
Failure of League
1. Settling disputes without back up by Britain and France
Vilna (1920)

- Between Poland and Lithuania

- Over the Vilna, capital of Lithuania
- Poland take control of Vilna
- Lithuania protest
- French and Britain aren’t prepared to act
- Poles aren’t pool out

Occupation of Ruhr (1923)

- Germany couldn’t pay second installment in 1922

- It should be referred to League
- Instead France and Belgium sent troops to occupy Ruhr in 1923

Effect – Make league to be seem as victorious club which pursue victors’ interest

Corfu incident (1923)

- Cause
▪ The border dispute between Albania and Greece
▪ General Tellini was appointed behalf of Conference of Ambassadors
▪ General Tellini and his team was murdered
▪ Mussolini demand compensation (50 million lira) and murders
▪ Greece couldn’t hand the culprit over
▪ Mussolini sent troops to Corfu
- Greece appeal to League
- League condemn Mussolini’s action
- League suggest Greece to pay compensation but money to be held by League until culprit is found
- Mussolini refused and asked to be handed to Council
- British and France don’t back up
▪ Britain prepare to intervene
▪ But France disagree to backed due to problem at Ruhr
▪ British wasn’t prepared to take military action or economic sanction alone
- The council blame to Greek
- Greece have to apologies and give compensation directly
- Reputation of League was effected

**Historian Zara Steiner say that dispute show how countries could get what it want when Britain and France agreed to sacrifice justice for co-oper

How far did the Depression make the work of the League more difficult?
- Economic recovery take place in 1920s
- Loans from USA improve the economies of the countries
- Trade relationship between countries reduced
- Political impacts got lesser
- Wall Street Crash 1929/ The Great Depression
- Lead to economic problems in countries
- Tensions between countries increase
Effect of Economic Depression
- US loans dried up
▪ Countries went burst
▪ Lead to unemployment
- Countries try to stop imports by trade barriers
▪ Trade relationship between got worse
▪ So, co-operation failure
- Started to rearm
▪ Give jobs to unemployed workers
▪ Built forces as neighbors did too
- Reduce the desire to take action my economic sanction
▪ To maintain existing trade partners
- Rise of extremist government
▪ Nazism in Germany
▪ Military government in Japan
- Lead to colonization in order to get new market.
USA - No longer supporting economic sanction

Britain - Unwilling to sort out dispute (Manchuria and Abyssinia crisis as example)

Germany- Hitler was elected, he did rearm and invade lands

Japan - Rise of military government as money and raw materials are needed

Italy – Mussolini built oversea colonies to draw attention of people from difficulties they faced

How successful was the League in the 1930s?

Manchuria 1931 – 1933

Background

- Depression hit Japan badly

- USA put up barrier against Japanese goods
- Japan army leader wanted to solve this by empire
- To provide resources and market for Japanese goods
- Manchuria could provide food source for Japan

Mukden railway incident 1931

- Chinese troops attack railway

- Japan use this as excuse to send troops to Japan
- Set up government in Manchuria
- Civilian government protest but military government was in charge
- China appeals to the League
- Japan give reason that it’s self defence

League response

- League call for sanction but fail

o None of the European power wanted to reduce trade with Far East
o It’s other side of the world; military sanction was impossible
o France and Britain fear that sanction might provoke a Japanese attack to their colonies

- League investigates
o There was a delay
 o Appointed lord Lytton to lead the commission of enquiry
o League official sails to asses Manchuria to see situations themselves
o The invasion was unjustified
o 1932 → The Lytton report was presented
o Assembly take place
o Report was accepted 42 votes to 1 vote
o Japan terminated the membership

Invasion continued 1933

- Japan announced they tend to invade more of China

- Invaded Jehol

Impression on League

For

- League try it’s best

- It’s difficult to act in the time of Depression
- League didn’t have major powers to support sanction
- Britain and France weren’t sufficient to act itself
▪ Scare that japan might attack their colonies in Far East
- Japan is too far

Against

- League is too slow to act

- It’s a clear aggressive act for Japan
- It’s example for other aggressors

World disarmament conference 1932-1934

Background

- Arm race was one of the reasons for WW1

- It’s one of the Wilson’s 14 point to disarm
- Only defeated nation does
- Depression cause more countries to spend on disarmament due to tensions
- Disarmament Conference was held in 1932

German disarmament

- German should be treated equally

- If everyone didn’t disarm to level of Germany, German should be allowed to rearm
- Hitler came to power; start rearm
- Promise not to rearm if other nation destroys their arm in five year
- Britain produce disarmament plan but failed to get support
- Germany walk out of conference and leave league

Reason for failure

- France, Poland and Czechoslovakia were worried about their future defensive security
- France was willing to disarm only if USA and Britain give guarantee
- Hitler became Chancellor; he has no intention to disarm
- Manchuria crisis show ineffectiveness of League
Abyssinia Crisis 1935-1936

Background

- Italy is leading member of League

- Abyssinia is border with colonies of France and Britain; it’s accessible

Cause of the crisis

Immediate cause

- 1934 dispute between Italian and Abyssinians soldiers at Wal-Wal oasis

- Demand the apology and prepare army for invasion

Long-term causes

- Italian troops were defeated by poorly equipped Abyssinia army before

▪ Mussolini wanted a revenge
- Wanted fertile lands and mineral wealth of Abyssinia
- Boost his popularity
▪ Economic problems in Italy at this time affect his reputation
▪ Wanted to draw attention of people
- Restore glory of Roman Empire
- Fail to get share of German and Turkey colonies

League response

- League investigate that neither side was responsible for Wal-Wal incident
- Give some part of Abyssinia to Italy; but rejected
- It was clear that it’s aggression
- Sanction was imposed
- Decision was delayed; allow Mussolini to stock raw material
- Banned arm sales, import loans and export such as rubber and tin

Hoare-Laval Pact

- British and France foreign minister plan

- To give two-third of Abyssinia to Italy
- To stop the invasion in return
- League or Haile Selassie none was consulted
- Leaked to French Press
- Public of British and France Protest

Why sanction isn’t effective?

- Essential war material such as oil and coal excluded from the sanction list
- Suez Canal, main artery of supplies was open
- Britain and France didn’t want to lost allies against Germany
- British and France itself also have colonies in Africa
- 1935, Stresa Pact convince Britain and France would go blind for his action
- Country are less willing do sanction due to depression
- USA didn’t participate in sanction
Consequences

- It gives right time for Hitler to move his troops into Rhineland
- Mussolini annexed whole country
- Collective security was seemed as empty promise
- Mussolini sign agreement with Germany in1936, Rome-Berlin-Toyo axis

Factors lead to failure of League

- Absent powers
▪ USA was not in the league
- Ineffective sanctions
▪ Sanctions didn’t work
- Lack of standing army
▪ Couldn’t sent troops in case
▪ Member countries are sometime unwilling to send troops
- Unfair Treaty
▪ League duty was to enforce treaties but some member countries thought they were unfair
- Decisions are made too slowly
- Economic depression
▪ Rise of dictator
▪ Members are less willing to support sanction
- French and Britain have self-interests
▪ France → future security of France
▪ Britain → Growth of its empire and navy