The League of Nations has often been described by Historians and other social commentators as a failure of diplomacy. This set of slides will (hopefully) provide a balanced view of the League and what it hoped to achieve.
2. By the end of the lesson, you would be able to :
o Identify and explain the ideas behind the League of Nations
o Appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of the League.
o Analyse its success stories and its failures
3. World War 1 convinced many leaders that there was a
need for a better system to maintain peace in the future.
Before WWI = Balance of Power through secret treaties .
Peace based on fear of conflict through treaty
obligations.
After WW1 = new system of maintaining peace –
“collective security”
o (Countries could agree not to attack each other and would also
defend each other in the event of an attack)
4. o Provide a way of settling international disputes by not
waging war.
o Reduce and control armaments
o Establish a system of International Law
o Encourage social and economic cooperation in the
world
o Ensure International treaties were registered &
contents made known
o Promote open and just relations between nations.
P,R,E,E,P
5. The League was involved in the following areas:
o Mandates
• Supervise Germany‟s former colonies.
• Allied powers governed these territories on behalf of the League
• Until they could be given self-government.
o Collective Security
• Meant that if one state attacked another – all members would act
collectively to stop the aggressor
• Instead of resorting to military alliances or war, the League of
Nations would allow for open discussion
7. Strength 1: Helped solve International labour disputes
and improved labour conditions.
Strength 2: Set up commissions to improve hygiene and
combat diseases
o Diseases like leprosy reduced
o Living and working conditions improved
8. Strength 3: Human rights Commission
o helped refugees &
o abolished slavery.
Strength 4: Collective security - settled disputes bet.
nations:
o (1921) The Aaland Islands – resolved a dispute between Sweden
and Finland. Both countries accepted the decision of the League.
o (1923) Albania – The League successfully made Yugoslavia
withdraw from Albania when it tried to take over Albania.
9. W1: League did not represent all the countries of the
world
o USA and Russia not members. US because of Isolationism and
Russia because it was a Communist state.
o Countries could easily join and leave the league. Leave when the
League objected to their actions.
o Countries not bound to accept the decisions of the League
W2: Attitudes towards the league
o Countries that signed the Treaty of Versailles had to accept the
League. Treaty unpopular so League grew unpopular.
o Public opinion was against the League. Britain and France
10. W3: Lack of power
o Lacked peace-keeping force to counter attacks against member states.
o Worsened with the rise of Communist Russia and Nazi Germany
o Imposing economic sanctions harmful to members‟ own economy.
o Lost the respect of member states as it could not enforce decisions.
W4: White Supremacy
o League associated with White domination and Imperialism.
o E.g. Japan‟s seat in the Council had little impact on the decisions that
were made in the league
o League could not claim to represent the nations of the world as some
races were not considered as equal.
11. W5: Failed to prevent military conflict
o It failed to prevent a war between Greece and Turkey.
o In 1931, Japan invaded China and Seized Manchuria. When the
League raised its protest Japan refused to comply instead
withdrew from the League.
o In 1935 Mussolini, invaded Abyssinia and annexed it in 1936.
o The aggressive activities of Hitler went on unchecked - annexed
Austria, Czechoslovakia and Memel.
o The league was a helpless observer to all these acts - The
League was too weak an organ to solve international peace.
12. The League lacked authority
o No military power to coerce aggressor nations
o No economic power to enforce sanctions effectively
• Trade sanctions not be enforced – members trading with the
aggressor outside the League.
• States more interested in solving their own economic problems.
• Unwilling to impose trade sanctions as it would harm their
economies
o Without military and economic power, League could only use
moral persuasion against armed aggression. This proved
13. „Big Powers‟ interests dominated League:
o These Powers wanted to advance their own interest at the
expense of others. This made Germany call it a „Victor‟s club‟.
o Selfish motives prevailed and there was no sincerity among the
members. They talked highly but acted meanly.
o Eventually lead to the breakdown in trust that affected collective
security.
14. The need for unanimity:
o Actions taken required unanimity i.e. all permanent members to
agree.
o If dispute - between permanent members, either one could not
support the decision – action could not be carried out.
o Some decisions required the support of all members – virtually
impossible to come to a unanimous decision.
15. Absence of the US
o League was dealt with a serious blow when USA did not join –
isolationism.
o Absence of US meant that league was deprived of a powerful
member.
o Its presence would have been a great psychological and
financial benefit for Europe.
o Many countries felt that if the US did not take the League
seriously, there was no point that they should.
16. What were the objectives of the League of Nations
What is Collective Security?
Explain (using F,E,E,L) one of the weaknesses of the
League