League of Nations(in the 1920s)

Adapted - Tan JL & Marshal Cavendish

Reference

LON in the 1920s (after Treaty of Versailles)

- Textbook, Chpt 2.1

LON in the 1930s (before WW2)

- Textbook, Chpt 2.2

http://www.johndclare.net/league_of_nations1.htm

What was the League of Nations?

• An idea of American President Woodrow Wilson following the first world war

• An international police force made up of representatives of many countries

• An organisation that would allow disputes to be settled without resorting to war, based in Geneva (neutral).

Differing views on how the League should operate:

America Britain France

A world parliament where representatives would meet regularly to decide on matter which affected all of them

A simple organisation that would meet during emergencies

A strong League capable of enforcing decisions with its own army

Each of these types of League has advantages and disadvantages:

Although France’s idea of a strong League would mean it could be an effective force, the League was meant to be centred on peace. Potentially, its own army could provoke another war

Britain’s simpler idea would mean that the League would merely dealing with emergencies rather than working on preventing them from of occurring in the first place

America’s version of the League would be expensive and a complicated to organise, although it might have been the most effective version in terms of keeping peace

However, the idea of joining the League was not popular with all Americans…Many Americans did not think the Treaty of Versailles was fair. As the League was linked with the treaty, they did not want to be a part of it

Americans wanted to stay out of disputes that might enter their troops into the kind of carnage of the first world war

Others wanted to avoid the economic cost of joining the League

Many Americans were anti-French or Anti-British. They thought the League would be run by these countries and did not want to get involved with their affairs

Wilson’s party lost the election in 1919. His opponents promised to follow a policy of isolationism (staying out of international affairs). And so America did not join the League of Nations…

Aims of the League1. Discourage aggression from any country

2. Encourage co-operation in business and trade

3. Encourage disarmament

4. Improve working and living conditions for people across the world

Aims of LON

Put it in another way:

SIDE – Stop war

• (Article 10 of the Covenant = ‘collective security’)

– Improve people's lives and Jobs • Encourage co-operation in trade • Economic and social agencies.

– Disarmament – Enforce the Treaty of Versailles

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How effective was the League of Nations?

The League of Nations was officially established on 10 January 1920, with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

ObjectivesObjectives

Political

Resolve international problems through:• negotiation,• arms reduction,• and as a last resort, use of force against aggressor countries.

SocialImprove the standard of living of all people through enhancing their quality of life and living conditions. Created:

• the International Labour Organisation • the Mandates Commission • the Minorities Commission

to improve the welfare of workers, people living in colonies and minorities.

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In a Nutshell In the aftermath of World War I, countries began the

difficult task of establishing peace. One of the priorities was to set up the League of

Nations for the solution of international problems through peaceful means.

However, the USA did not join the League of Nations due to social and political objections back home.

Nevertheless, the USA promoted disarmament efforts. The USA also provided financial aid to Germany. However, these efforts were said to be insufficiently

effective in bringing about sustained peace. Ironically, it is believed that the Treaty of Versailles

sowed the seeds of war due to the perceived injustice and dissatisfaction it created.

Reasons for League of Nations

The League was formed to maintain peace and security in the world by countries acting together to stop war. This was called collective security.

The League wanted to bring about settlement of all international disputes by peaceful means instead of fighting, to reduce national armaments, and to encourage co-operation between countries on matters of international concern, such as fighting disease.

When it opened, some countries were not members of

the League:America:- had become isolationist

Germany:- As a defeated country who was blamed for staring the Great war, Germany was not invited to join

Russia:- Were not invited to join the League, mainly due to their Communist government

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Were the objectives of the League of Nations realistic?

Which view do you agree with?

What would have What would have given the League of given the League of Nations a higher Nations a higher chance of success?chance of success?

The Structure of the League of Nations

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Was the League of Nations a success in the 1920s?

Political issuesThe League of Nations had to handle several

disputes in Europe in the 1920s.

It had a mixture of successes and failures — it was able to solve some disputes but unable to prevent other acts of aggression.

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1920:Territorial dispute between Finland and Sweden. Both countries laid claim to the Åland Islands.

What did the League do?The League investigated the claims and awarded the Åland Islands to Finland. Sweden accepted this decision.

1920:Territorial dispute between Finland and Sweden. Both countries laid claim to the Åland Islands.

What did the League do?The League investigated the claims and awarded the Åland Islands to Finland. Sweden accepted this decision.

2

1921:Both Germany and Poland laid claims to the industrial area of Upper Silesia.

What did the League do?The League conducted plebiscites and used the results to split the area according to the wishes of the people living in those areas. Both Germany and Poland found this acceptable.

1921:Both Germany and Poland laid claims to the industrial area of Upper Silesia.

What did the League do?The League conducted plebiscites and used the results to split the area according to the wishes of the people living in those areas. Both Germany and Poland found this acceptable.

4

1925:Greece invaded Bulgaria following a dispute.

What did the League do?The League demanded that Greece withdraw from Bulgaria. Greece complied.

1925:Greece invaded Bulgaria following a dispute.

What did the League do?The League demanded that Greece withdraw from Bulgaria. Greece complied.

7

Success!

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1920:Poland seized Vilna, the former capital of Lithuania.

What did the League do?The League did not take action.

1920:Poland seized Vilna, the former capital of Lithuania.

What did the League do?The League did not take action.

1

1923:Germany stopped making its reparation payments to the Allies. France and Belgium invaded and occupied the German industrial area of the Ruhr.

What did the League do?The League did not take any action.

1923:Germany stopped making its reparation payments to the Allies. France and Belgium invaded and occupied the German industrial area of the Ruhr.

What did the League do?The League did not take any action.

61920–1922:The outbreak of war between Greece and Turkey.

What did the League do?The League was unable to prevent the war.

1920–1922:The outbreak of war between Greece and Turkey.

What did the League do?The League was unable to prevent the war.

3

1923:AnItalian general was murdered in Greece. In retaliation, the Italian dictator, Mussolini invaded and occupied the Greek island of Corfu. Greece appealed to the League for help.

What did the League do?The League decided that Greece should pay compensation to Italy, but the money would be held by the League until the issue was resolved. Mussolini worked behind the League and made Greece pay the compensation directly to Italy. Greece complied and Mussolini openly boasted that he had managed to bypass the authority of the League.

1923:AnItalian general was murdered in Greece. In retaliation, the Italian dictator, Mussolini invaded and occupied the Greek island of Corfu. Greece appealed to the League for help.

What did the League do?The League decided that Greece should pay compensation to Italy, but the money would be held by the League until the issue was resolved. Mussolini worked behind the League and made Greece pay the compensation directly to Italy. Greece complied and Mussolini openly boasted that he had managed to bypass the authority of the League.

5

Failure!

Successes in the 1920s• With the League’s help over 400 000 prisoners of

war were returned home• The slavery Commission brought about the freeing

of over 200 000 slaves in British-owned Sierra-Leone and organised raids against slave owners and traders in Burma

• The Health Committee worked hard to defeat leprosy and malaria. It later became the World Health Organisation

• Sweden accepted the League’s decision to give the Aaland islands to Finland. The two countries thereby avoided going to war for them

• The League divided Upper Silesia between Germany and Poland after a plebiscite showed a clear divide. Both countries accepted this decision.

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Was the League of Nations a success in the 1920s?

Limited success?Political issues — resolved several disputes but failed

to prevent some acts of aggression.Social issues — successful in many social reforms

and programmes. Absence of the USA as a member.

The US Senate supported the policy of isolationism — non-involvement in world affairs that might require its young men to fight another war.

Domestic politics — Opposition from Republicans who were not included by Wilson, a Democrat, in his discussion on the peace treaty.

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Was the League of Nations a success in the 1920s?

The USA was the strongest country in the world and commanded great respect and political clout.

Its inclusion in the League of Nations would have enhanced the League’s credibility, reputation and enforcement power.

Its absence was a crucial missing link in the international organisation that was to be the cornerstone of establishing peace in the 1920s.

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Was the League of Nations a success in the 1920s?

Social issuesSignificant progress was made after World War I in several areas:The League helped millions of refugees to return

home after the war.

The Health Commission of the League helped to reduce the spread of contagious diseases through international vaccination programmes and helped to reduce fatalities from such diseases.

The League also worked to reduce the smuggling of cheap labour, opium and dangerous chemicals across international borders.

1929 Wall Street Crash!

This is MAJOR turning point for the league:

*Many members of the League were now focussed on solving domestic problems.

*The crash created a depression in Europe causing unemployment and poverty. Dictators rose to power as they promised a solution to problems. These were new problems for the League to face

*Had a major effect on Japan who relied heavily on international trade. This would eventually contribute towards the invasion of Manchuria

What were the reasons for the failure of the League of Nations during the

1930s?Self-interest Absence of

important countries

Lack of Troops

TOV it was meant to protect was

unfair

Decisions were slow

Sanctions were ineffective

We have our own

problems!You need to know how each of these contributed towards the League’s failures

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What actions were taken by the USA?

What was achieved?

How successful were these actions?

Did the USA play an active role in disarmament in the 1920s?

The Washington The Washington Naval Conference Naval Conference 1921–19221921–1922

Kellogg-Briand Pact Kellogg-Briand Pact 19281928

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The Washington Naval Conference 1921–1922

Aim was to get major naval powers to disarm and put an end to the expensive naval arms race.

The USA invited Britain, France, Italy and Japan to attend the conference.

They agreed to reduce the size of their navies.

They signed the Five Power Naval Limitation Treaty.

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The Washington Naval Conference 1921–1922

The countries agreed to maintain a balance in their respective fleets according to the ratio shown below.

They also agreed not to build any new warships for the next 10 years.

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The Washington Naval Conference 1921–1922

Britain and the USA agreed not to improve their existing naval facilities (British base in Hong Kong, USA base

in the Philippines) in the Pacific region.

Thus Japan would remain the dominant naval power in the Asia-Pacific region.

Japan also agreed not to develop bases on Formosa and the Pacific Islands that it had received as mandates from the League of Nations.

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The Washington Naval Conference 1921–1922

However, there were limitations:Agreement only dealt with the navy and not

with air and land forces.

Five Power Treaty was binding only on battleships and did not cover smaller ships or submarines.

BackBack

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Other disarmament efforts

The Locarno Pact 1925Proposed by Germany, signed by Germany and the

former Allied Powers.Germany agreed to respect its new Western boundaries

as determined by the Treaty of Versailles.Germany also agreed not to remilitarise the Rhineland

along its Western border with France.No guarantee for the Eastern borders as Germany

hoped to secure a peaceful change of border with Poland and reincorporate the former German territories.

• Improved relations between Germany and its former enemies.

• Paved the way for Germany’s membership in the League of Nations.

• A successful disarmament effort.

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Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928

Jointly initiated by the French Foreign Minister, Aristide Briand and the American Secretary of State, Frank B. Kellogg.

Signed by 15 nations, including all the major powers, in August 1928.

In the following months, more than 60 countries joined in.

Agreed that they would not resort to war as ‘an instrument of national policy’ — that is, they would not start wars to achieve their political or economic ambitions.

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Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928

However, there were limitations:Pact did not state how the countries could act

against any signatory who failed to abide by the agreed terms.

Pact allowed wars in self-defence.

Loophole in the Pact allowed for undeclared wars since the countries involved would not be officially at war.

BackBack

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How effective was the aid given to Germany?

Germany’s defeat in World War I had left it in economic ruin and in desperate need of aid.

The stripping of German land and its resources such as iron ore and coal mines by the Treaty of Versailles further crippled production.

To make matters worse, the reparation payments imposed by the Treaty of Versailles diverted money away from other uses, such as rebuilding German industries.

Fewer goods produced and severe inflation!Fewer goods produced and severe inflation!

Weimar Republic

• Ebert took over as President from Kaiser Wilheim and announced that Germany was now a Republic

• Weimar Republic signed armistice and TOV which gave rise to the “stab in the back” theory (Germany was betrayed by politicians and should have fought on).

• Nationalists labelled Ebert’s govt “The November Criminals.”

• As there was too much unrest in Berlin during this stage, so the National Assembly held its 1st meeting in Weimar. So the constitution that it drew up was called the Weimar Republic

• Weimar Republic – a democracy with Reichstag (Parliament)

1. System of proportional representation which had in-built weakness (govt formed by coalition of different parties)

2. Response to TOV

3. Economic crisis

Pressing Issues

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How effective was the aid given to Germany?

Weimar government’s economic mismanagement: Printed more money to pay off government

debts when there was little production of goods and services.

Worthless paper money.

Hyperinflation!Hyperinflation!

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How effective was the aid given to Germany?

The Dawes Plan 1924American Charles Dawes led an international committee to help resolve the reparations problem for Germany.

The USA loaned Germany 800 million gold marks which Germany used to end hyperinflation and pay reparations.

The USA loaned Germany 800 million gold marks which Germany used to end hyperinflation and pay reparations.

The total amount of reparations was reduced.

The total amount of reparations was reduced.

Germany was given a more flexible time schedule for repayment based on its ability to pay.

Germany was given a more flexible time schedule for repayment based on its ability to pay.

France agreed to withdraw from the Ruhr when Germany promised to resume reparation payments.

France agreed to withdraw from the Ruhr when Germany promised to resume reparation payments.

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How effective was the aid given to Germany?

The Young Plan 1929The USA continued to offer assistance to speed up Germany’s recovery. Owen Young, head of the Allied Reparations Commission, initiated the Young Plan.

Further reduced the amount of reparations that Germany had to pay to US$2.6 billion, one-third of the original amount.

Further reduced the amount of reparations that Germany had to pay to US$2.6 billion, one-third of the original amount.

The repayment period was extended to 59 years.

The repayment period was extended to 59 years.

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Food distribution points:The poor and the unemployed had to queue up at these points and rely on food handouts for basic sustenance.

What does this picture tell you about What does this picture tell you about Germany in the 1920s?Germany in the 1920s?

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Nearly worthless paper money:German children were given the banknotes as toys because the paper notes could not buy much, especially during the period of hyperinflation between 1922 and 1923.

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Financial aid from the USA:American loans were an important source of funds to the German entrepreneurs and businessmen.

In fact, American loans not only helped the German economy recover, it also ended hyperinflation. The loans were also used to pay reparations.

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How effective was the aid given to Germany?

By working closely with the USA, the Weimar government was able to help the economy recover.

However ordinary Germans were still humiliated by and resentful of:the reparation payments to the former Allied countries.the fact that territories were taken away from Germany.

Thus, they were disgruntled that because of this, their proud country was reduced to being dependent on aid from the USA and was surviving by working closely with the former Allied countries which had humiliated their country at Versailles.

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How effective was the aid given to Germany?

Impact of the Great Depression on GermanyBecause the German economy had become dependent upon aid from the USA, the collapse of the American economy on 29 October 1929 had a huge impact on Germany.

The American economy collapsed.

American companies withdrew loans from Germany.

German entrepreneurs and businessmen lost their supply of funds (American loans).

Unemployment on the rise. Hardship for the people again.

German economy crashed again.

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SummaryWere the hopes of the world in establishing peace in the 1920s fulfilled?

Treaty of Versailles

League of Nations

Disarmament

Aid to Germany

Intentions of the ‘Big Three’

What the Germans got

Their reactions

ObjectivesHow successful?

Washington Naval Conference

Kellogg-Briand Pact

Dawes Plan

Young Plan

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Summary

• Territorial losses• Military cut-down• War guilt clause

Back to main summary

• Anger• Injustice• Humiliation Sowed the seeds for war?

France• Severe punishment• Compensation• Weaken and cripple

Britain• Justice• Deterrence

The USA•Peace•Self-determination•Democracy

Treaty of Versailles

Intentions of the ‘Big Three’

What the Germans got

Their reactions

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Summary

Back to main summary

• Limited success politically — able to solve some disputes but unable to prevent some acts of aggression.

• Great success socially.• Absence of the USA in the

League curtailed its power substantially.

Political• Settle disputes

between nations.• Prevent wars.• Protect independence

of countries.• Promote disarmament.

Social• Improve the

standard of living of all people through enhancing their quality of life and living conditions.

League of Nations

ObjectivesHow successful?

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Summary

Back to main summary

• Signed by more than 75 nations.• Agreed not to resort to war to achieve their

political or economic ambitions.• But no clear statement on how countries

could take action against violators.• Also allowed war in self-defence or

undeclared wars.

• Five Power Naval Limitation Treaty signed.• Countries’ respective fleets are to be maintained

according to a predetermined ratio. • No improvement or development of bases in the Pacific

region.• But limited to only navy and omitted land and air forces.• Also binding only on battleships and did not cover

smaller ships or submarines.

Disarmament

Washington Naval Conference

Kellogg-Briand Pact

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Summary

• USA loaned Germany 800 million gold marks to end hyperinflation and pay reparations.

• Total amount of reparations was reduced.

• Germany was given a more flexible repayment time schedule.

• France agreed to withdraw from the Ruhr upon resumption of reparation payments.

• Further reduced the amount of reparations to one third of the original amount.

• Reparation period was extended to 59 years.

• Great help to Germany in speeding up its economic recovery.

Aid to Germany

Dawes Plan

Young Plan

Back to main summary