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League of Nations
∗
Feriha Kazmi
This work is produced by OpenStax-CNX and licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0†
Abstract
The League of Nations (1919-1931). The League of Nations was formed out of U.S. President Wilson's
14 points, after the First World War. President Wilson hoped that a united front of nations would prevent
any future international wars. Furthermore, the League oered the idea of collective security. Although
the League did have some successes, a series of failures soon discredited the League. Germany's aggressive
acts after 1935 were never challenged by the League; and, only 20 years after the end of the First World
War, war broke out in Europe again.
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∗ Version
1.1: Apr 13, 2009 5:59 am -0500
† http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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A. The League of Nations
1. The body that was formed out of Wilson's 14 Points was called the League of Nations.
(a) The League's aims and objectives were set in 26 articles known as the Covenant.
(b) President Wilson was hoping that the League would unite against any future international wars.
(c) The League of Nations oered the idea of collective security. This meant those countries would act
together if any member were threatened by any hostile state.
2. In the beginning the League did have some successes. However, a series of failures (Manchuria, Abyssinia,
and German infringements of the Treaty of Versailles.) soon discredited the League.
B. The Aims and Organization of the League
1. Aims: The main aim of the League of Nations was to keep international peace. However,
the League also had other important aims-it was to look after the new mandated territories, improve world
working and health conditions, abolish slavery, and help refugees.
2. The League's organization had initial weaknesses, which was demonstrated in many of its failures.
(a)First, the League did not contain all nations.
• The USA did not join. (The US congress voted against it)
• Russia was not allowed because her leaders were keen to promote world revolution.
•
Figure 2
The Central Powers (Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, and Turkey) were not allowed to join, initially as
punishment for having caused the War. Therefore it was dicult to see that the League was a body,
which spoke for the world.
3. Perhaps the most important weakness of the League was its inability to stop any state ignoring decisions.
(a) The League could apply: diplomatic pressure, economic sanctions, and even military measures to
enforce a member to conform.
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(b) However, the League was never able to call an international peacekeeping
force.
(c) It soon became clear that if the stronger nations of the world wished to
settle issues without using the League then it was powerless.
C. The work of the League in the 1920s
1. Territorial Disputes: The League could point to success in several areas by the end of the 1920s,
e.g. Aaland Islands, Silesia, Iraq, Greece, Bolivia and Peru.
(a) Vilna: Poland and Lithuania quarreled over this city, which had a mixed
population but was predominantly Polish.
• Lithuania was created in the peace settlement and its capital was to Vilna.
• The Poles objected and simply seized the city.
• The League did nothing.
(b)Aaland Islands: Sweden and Finland both claimed ownership of these
islands. The issue was eventually referred to the League and the islands were
given to Finland.
(c) Upper Silesia: This area of land on the Polish and German borders had a
mixed population. The League was able to solve the issue of ownership by
means of plebiscite.
2. There was one incident that really seemed to show the real weakness of the League.
(a) The Corfu incident, 1923 occurred when an Italian general was killed
when he was assisting in the redrawing the borders between Albania and
Greece.
• Mussolini demanded reparations and an enquiry. The Greeks refused and Mussolini's response was to
bombard and then invade the Greek island of Corfu.
• The League suggested that 50 million lire to be paid in a Swiss account and an enquiry be set up.
• Mussolini claimed that the League had no right to interfere and Italy would leave the League of this
interference continued.
(b) The authority of the League had been undermined. The message seemed to
be that a powerful nation could resort to force and threats and its demands would be met.
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(D) The Manchurian Crisis
1. In 1931, Japan invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria.
2. Both countries were members of the League, and China appealed to the Council on the grounds that
Japan committed an act of aggression against a fellow member.
3. By February 1932, the Japanese had occupied all of Manchuria and had renamed it Manchukuo.
4. The League set up a Commission of Inquiry, which was led by Lord Lytton from the United Kingdom.
5. It took the League 7 months to publish its report, which clearly condemned the actions of Japan.
6. Directly afterwards, Japan withdrew from the Assembly and ended its membership of the League.
7. Japan did not return Manchuria to China.
8. The League had not even imposed economic sanctions; however, many countries that economic sanctions were not used because Britain and France were not prepared to go to war against Japan.
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Figure 4
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Figure 5
(E) The invasion of Abyssinia,
1. In 1935, Italy invaded Abyssinia following a border clash between the two countries at Wal Wal.
(a) The Italians had had designs on Abyssinia for many years and wished to enlarge their African empire.
(b) Abyssinia appealed to the League.
(c) Economic sanctions were placed to prevent any trading with Italy.
• These sanctions did not include coal, iron, steel and oil (the materials needed for war).
(d)The crisis in Abyssinia was quite problematic for Britain.
• If Italy were condemned too sternly, then Mussolini might be tempted to ally with Hitler.
(e) In 1935, Britain and France did try to put an end to the war. There solution turned out to put disgrace
on both countries. The Hoare-Laval Plan suggested that Abyssinia be divided into two parts- the larger area
should become a smaller Abyssinia.
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•
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There was an international outcry and the plan was abandoned.
(f) Abyssinia was defeated and absorbed into the Italian Empire in 1936.
(g) The emperor of Abyssinia, Haile Selassie, made an impassioned speech to the special assembly of the
League and accused the Great Powers of breaking their promises to the small Nations of the world.
(F) The League and Germany ,
War broke out in Europe in September 1939, only 20 years after the end of the First World War.
Germany's aggressive acts after 1935 were never challenged by the League, and after 1938, the League was
largely an irrelevant body ignored by the major powers in the world.
References
McAleavy, Tony (2002) 20 th Century History: International Relations since 1919. Cambridge
University Press.
Rea, Tony (2000) International Relations, 1914-95. Oxford University Press
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