THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

THIS IS THE THIEPVAL MEMORIAL- WHERE IS IT AND WHY WAS IT BUILT?

WHAT WAS THE PRICE OF WORLD WAR ONE?

Country Men Mobilised

Killed Wounded POW and Missing

Total Casualties

France 8.4 mill 1.3mill 4.2mill 537,000 6.1mill

UK 8.9mill 908,000 2mill 191,000 3.1mill

USA 4.3mill 126,000 234,000 4,500 350,000

Germany 11million 1.7million 4.2million 1.1million 7.1million

Country Men Mobilised

Killed Wounded POW and Missing

Total Casualties

France 8.4 mill 1.3mill 4.2mill 537,000 6.1mill

UK 8.9mill 908,000 2mill 191,000 3.1mill

USA 4.3mill 126,000 234,000 4,500 350,000

Germany 11million 1.7million 4.2million 1.1million 7.1million

WOODROW WILSON’S VISION

“It is not enough just to win the war. We must win it in such a way as to keep the future peace of the world.”

President Wilson, talking in 1919

“I can predict with absolute certainty that within another generation there will be another world war if the nations of the world do not work together to prevent it.”

from a statement by the American President, Woodrow Wilson, made during the peace discussions in 1919.

Discussion Point- Why would the US president be more likely to hold these attitudes than other world leaders in 1919?

Exercise Books Title- Woodrow Wilson- Based on the above quotations outline Wilson’s attitude to future peace. Spend 3 minutes on your answer

LEAGUE OF NATIONS- LOGO

THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Encourage co-operation Stop aggression

DisarmamentImprove

social conditions

AIMS

HEADQUARTERS- GENEVA

MEMBERSHIP

42 members - by 1930’s 59 Defeated countries could not join e.g.

Germany Russia excluded because communist

Discussion Point- Can we see any problems here?

STRUCTURE

The AssemblyEach country one vote

The CouncilMet 3-4 times a year and in emergencies

5 permanent membersEach had right to veto any idea

The SecretariatKept records

- civil service, announces decisions of the council and

the Assembly to the world

Permanent court ofInternational JusticeBased at The Hague

Settle disputes peacefullyNo power of enforcement

POWERS OF THE LEAGUE

If a country ignored the ruling of the League it could:

Put pressure on Refuse to trade – sanctions

Discussion Point- What can the UN send in when situations become critical?

Source Analysis- ‘The Gap in the Bridge’ – a cartoon of 1919 by Leonard Ravenhill in the British magazine Punch                      .        

Discussion point- What is the cartoon saying is missing from the League of Nations and why is this a problem?

A B

What do cartoon A and B suggest?

AIMS

To promote international co-operation To end war by promoting disarmament,

preservation of its members from aggression, Peaceful settlement of international disputes

EFFECTS OF THE ABSENCE OF MAJOR POWERS

Weakened by the absence of Germany, USSR, USA

Germany’s absence meant that a country most likely to cause future conflict was outside the framework of peaceful reconciliation.

What does this picture tells you?

A

RESEARCH

The Greek Turkish War 1920-23 Lithuania’s seizure of Memel 1923 The Corfu Incident 1923

CLASS ASSIGNMENT

Source analysis Pg.58

End of Part I

THE PRINCIPLE OF COLLECTIVE SECURITY

Article 10 of the Covenant stated: Members of the League undertake to respect

and preserve as against external aggression and territorial integrity and existing political independence of all members of the League. In such any aggression or any threat or danger of such aggression the Council shall advise upon the means by which this obligation shall be fulfilled

REASONS FOR FAILURE OF COLLECTIVE SECURITY

1. there was no way of compelling a nation to submit to any method in the first place, nor of accepting any decision reached by the league.

Economic sanctions were only tried once against Italy over Abyssinia in 1936.

There was no League army and no police force.

The absence of several of the great powers undermined the effectiveness of the League.

EARLY SUCCESSES OF THE LEAGUE

1. The Aaland Islands Finland against Sweden (1920-21) Finland and Sweden were in dispute over the

Aaland Islands in the Baltic Sea. The League settled in favour of Finland. The Aaland Islands were under Finland while her population was Swedish. In 1909 A.D., Finland along with Aaland Islands was annexed by Russia. In 1917 A.D., Finland became free and the population of Aaland Islands desired to be with Sweden.

However, Finland was not prepared to accept this decision. In these circumstances, there was every possibility of a war. The League interfered in the matter and in June 1921 A.D., it was decided that Finland must have sovereignty over the Islands; people of the Islands were guaranteed autonomy and protection of their political rights; Swedish language in schools could be used; and rights of private property were to be preserved. The area was to be neutralized and unfortified. It was accepted by Sweden and Finland. Regarding it, an international treaty was signed on April 6, 1922 A.D

2. Mosul 1923-24 The League settled a dispute between Turkey

and Iraq over Mosul.

GREEK BULGARIAN CLASH

Two Greek soldiers were killed in a conflict with Bulgaria. When Bulgaria refused to pay the compensation, Greece attacked upon it. Bulgaria appealed to the League. The Council ordered both the sides to remove their army from the field. A Commission was appointed, which found Greece guilty and ordered her to pay for the war-compensation. Both the sides accepted the decision. Thus the war came to an end

WORKS FOR THE PUBLIC WELFARE

(i) Health: The member-States were to co-operate with the League in order to prevent the diseases.Permanent Health Organization: The organization, established in 1923 A.D., made many attempts to prevent the increase in diseases in the backward countries. In this year, the Malaria Commission tried to prevent this dangerous disease. In 1931 A.D., a convention was called for the Rural Health Development. The delegates of the twenty-three member-States took part in it and worked for the improvement of the rural health..

(ii) Economic Reconstruction: A number of Economic Conventions were called. Among these, the Brussels Convention and the International Economic Convention are very famous. An International Relief Union was established, which gave economic help as the ‘First Aid’ through a treasure it made.(iii) International Committee on Intellectual Co-operation:It was a seventeen-member committee, which spread the intellectual co-operation throughout the world

(iv) Humanitarian Activities: The League of Nations strictly checked the trade of children and the women. It also made efforts to abolish slavery.Thus the League did a lot of useful works for the human welfare, and that is why Cordell Hull says, “The League of nations has been responsible for more humanitarian and scientific endeavour than any other organization in history.”

FAILURES

1. Vilna dispute According to the Paris Peace Conference, the

city of Vilna was given to Lithuania, taking from Poland. In 1920 A.D., Poland annexed the city militarily. Lithuania made an appeal to the League. Although the League intervened, yet it failed to get Vilna back from Poland.

2. RUSSO-POLISH WAR 1920-21

Poland made substantial gains which were recognised by Russia in the Treaty of Riga(1921). The League was unable to exert any influence .

THE GREEK TURKISH WAR

This political context of this conflict is linked to secret agreements on sharing of the Ottoman Empire at the end of WWI. Military history begins with the Armistice of Moudros. The war arose because the western Allies, particularly British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, had promised Greece territorial gains at the expense of the Ottoman Empire if Greece entered the war on the Allied side. These includedEastern Thrace, the islands of Imvros and Tenedos and parts of western Anatolia around the city of Smyrna (İzmir) where ethnic Greeks formed the majority of the population.

In return for the contribution of the Greek army in the war effort, the 1920 Treaty of Sevres, which ended the First World War in Asia Minorand in parallel determined the future of the Ottoman Empire, assigned eastern Thrace and the millet of Smyrna to Greece.

on October 11, 1922, with the Allies retaining control of east Thrace and the Bosporus, but the Greeks evacuating these areas. The agreement came into force starting October 15, one day after the Greek side agreed to sign it. The Armistice of Mudanyawas followed by the Treaty of Lausanne, under which a significant provision was the exchange of populations which ended Greek presence on the west coast of Asia Minor

LITHUANIUA’S SEIZURE OF MEMEL The port city of Memel (now Klaipėda) and the

surrounding area, with a predominantly German population, were under Allied control after the end of the World War I. The area had been awarded to Lithuania by Article 99 of the Treaty of Versailles but the French and Polish governments favoured turning Memel into an international city. By 1923, control of the area had still not been transferred to Lithuania, prompting Lithuanian forces to invade in January 1923 and seize the port. After the Allies failed to reach an agreement with Lithuania, they referred the matter to the League of Nations. In December 1923, the League Council appointed a Commission of Inquiry to investigate. The Commission chose to cede Memel to Lithuania and give the area autonomous rights. 

THE CORFU INCIDENT

Mussolini demanded compensation for the murder of the Italian delegates in the Greek territories, while they were fixing the boundary line for Albania. On the refusal by Greece, Mussolini bombarded it and annexed Corfu. Greece made an appeal to the League, which ordered Italy to pay compensation for her behaviour. Mussolini, however, did not care for the League’s decision. Although, later on, he called back his army from Corfu, yet he compelled Greece to pay compensation. It was completely a failure on the part of the League.