The League of Nations and the Inability to Prevent World War II

Failures of Collective Security

Does each cartoon have a positive or negative view on the League?

Collective Security•W

ilson’s Fourteen Points set up the League of Nations

•Collective Security• Peace could be preserved through countries

acting together• Disputes referred to the Assembly

• No decision, left to the Council

•Covenant• Also aimed to promote disarmament,

supervise territories, and promote international good will and cooperation

• 32 Allied states originally

•International Disputes• Could refer disputes to Permanent Court of

International Justice, Arbitration or Council• League could impose economic sanctions,

impacted by success of blockade in WWI

• Could call for military action, did not have its own forces, little teeth

Structure

Problems for the League in 1920s

Absence of major powers• USA missing weakened

potential of collective security• Led to distinctly European

organization, continent in decline

• Excluded the USSR• League a club for capitalists

• Absence of Germany • Initially excluded, victors’ club

• Weakness of Central European states• New states struggling politically

Attempts to Strengthen the League•T

wo attempts to strengthen the League by France in 23-24• Draft Treaty of Mutual Assistance• Would have required all members

to assist another following aggression

• Geneva Protocol of 1924• Arbitration compulsory in all

disputes

• Both rejected by Britain

• Divided over those who wanted a strong League and those who wanted to be selective• Others not as worried as France

The Ruhr Crisis•F

or France, security was upholding the Treaty of Versailles• Felt it had been undermined• German political situation meant a

government that would not comply• Reparation payments became

absent• Germans had protested• Wiesbaden Accords, France would

assist Germany by taking raw materials

• Germany asks for suspension of payments for four years

• France has had enough• With Belgium and Italy, moved troops

into the Ruhr Valley in January 1923• Germany protested under Chancellor

Wilhelm Cuno

The Ruhr Crisis•G

erman economy collapsed• Cuno replaced with Gustav

Stresemann•C

risis ended with Dawes Plan• Brokered by U.S.• Reparations were reduced, but

guaranteed•F

rance accepted this because it brought the Americans back into the picture• Allies recovered more than ever

•France withdraws from Ruhr

•Had shown weaknesses of the League• France had taken matters into their

own hands, a permanent member• Increase of tension between France

and Germany

The Rapallo Treaty•A

pril 1922, Germany and Russia•I

ntroduced diplomatic relations and pledged cooperation

•Germany recognized the Soviet government and both powers denounced reparations

•Close economic cooperation

•Germany rearmed and trained secretly in Russia

•Made Britain want to be friendlier with Germany

Locarno Era – Improving Europe•S

till troops in Rhineland and other Germany cities

•Stresemann wanted them gone

•Locarno Conference in Feb. 1925• Series of treaties• Guaranteed borders between France, Belgium

and Germany• Germany signed treaties with Czechoslovakia

and Poland• Brought into League

•Gave hope for future security, Locarno Spirit

•France had not changed its view of Germany, only its strategy

•Both Treaty of Versailles and League of Nations had been undermined

Kellogg-Briand Pact, 1928

•Renounced war as an instrument of national policy

•62 of 64 states signed

•High point of Locarno Spirit era

•Really, Germany was still recovering, economics were good

•Decreased tensions

Young Plan, 1929•A

ddressed problems of the Dawes Plan• Further reduced sum of money

to be repaid by Germany

• Set a date for completion of repayments – 1988

• Continued US involvement in reparation payments

• Britain and France agreed to end occupation of the Rhineland early

• Most investment in Germany was happening from US capitalists

Why Did Collective Security Fail in the 1930s?

•League had collapsed by 1939

•Depression after October 1929

•World’s economy had been linked to USA

•Return to a world of self-interest and military forces

•Governments found right-wing political groups difficult to restrict

•Heightened fears of the USSR

•Expansionism growing in Europe and Asia

•Economic sanctions now not an option for the League

•Return to old-style diplomacy, outside of the League

Failure of Disarmament•A

ttempts to reduce weapons through 1920s

•Washington Conference, 1921-22• Great Britain, US, Japan built up

navies after WWI• Cost was too much• Five Power Treaty• 5:3:3 for America, Britain, Japan, ratio of

naval tonnage• No new battleships for the next 10 years

• Four Power Treaty• USA, Japan, Britain, France, guaranteed

possessions in Asia, agreed to come to aid

• Nine Power Treaty• Affirmed territorial integrity of China,

endorsed Open Door policy• Successful in limiting naval

armament• Did not include Germany or Russia

Failure of Disarmament•L

ondon Naval Conference, 1930• Revised the agreement at Washington• 5:3:3 now 10:10:7

•London Naval Treaty, 1936• Re-negotiation of London Treaty,

1930• Japan no longer wishes to limit naval

tonnage, walked out• Now going along with Germany in

buildup

•Geneva Disarmament Conference, 1932-34• Facing German threat, disagreements

over what should be limited and how• Germany demanded equality of status• 1933, Hitler led Germany out of

Conference

The Manchurian Dispute•J

apan has an Empire• Mariana and Caroline Islands after

WWI• Greatest industrial and trading

power in Asia• 1931, Japanese army in Manchuria,

claimed that a bomb explosion was evidence of growing disorder• They had actually planted it

• Japan attacked China• China appealed to the League• League condemned Japan, ordered it

to withdraw• Government accepted, army did not

• Appointed a commission, invasion already complete though

• Instructed members not to recognize Manchukuo

• Japan left the League• Claimed hypocrisy by Britain

The Manchurian Dispute•I

mpact of the Depression causes member states to be too troubled with their own domestic situations

•Unwilling to apply economic sanctions

•Japan’s main trading link was USA, not even a member

•Military solution was problematic• Manchuria was remote, inaccessible• Only Britain or USA could have done it

•Dire failure for the League

•China had no practical support

•Mussolini encouraged

•Starting point for dominance of Japanese militarism

The Abyssinian Crisis•1

932, Mussolini began planning annexation of Abyssinia (Ethiopia)

•Wanted to secure North African Empire, distract his people from the impact of the Depression• Would link Eritrea with Italian Somaliland

•First conflict Dec. 1934, full scale invasion Oct. 1935

•Knew the League would let him do it

•Britain and France afraid to lose him as an ally against Germany

•Brutality of the assault was too much

•League condemned Italy• Escalating program of sanctions• Britain and France worked for settlement

outside of the League• Italy held Mediterranean Sea

The Abyssinian Crisis•L

eague sanctions had no effect on Italy• Mussolini in control of Abyssinia by May

1936

•Abyssinian Crisis was a disaster• Permanent member had again ignored

the League and been victorious through war

• Proved self-interest was more important

•Italy, now isolated from Allies, moved towards Germany

•Hitler exploits the League with militarization of the Rhineland in March 1936

•Final nail in the coffin, failure

Simulation of Manchuria and Abyssinia

•China – Ally, Gabrielle

•Japan – Darren, Sara

•Britain – Alex, Alice

•France – Cara, Meghana

•Italy – Julianna, Hannaan

•United States – Jennifer, Jack

•What is your position on the action?

•Abyssinia – Cara, Jennifer

•Italy – Gabrielle, Darren

•France – Ally, Alice

•Britain – Jack, Meghana

•United States – Alex, Julianna

•Germany – Hannaan, Sara

•What action should the League take? What is the impact on your nations?

Manchuria Abyssinia

Limited Successes

Peacekeeping 1920-25

•Aaland Islands, 1920• Populated by Swedes

• Collapse of Russian empire, Finland claimed sovereignty

• Sweden accepted the League’s decision to give them to Finland

Peacekeeping 1920-25

•Vilna, 1920-23• Poland and Lithuania wanted

control of town of Vilna

• Once the capital of the latter, people were Polish

• League unable to prevent the Poles from seizing it by force

• Conference of Ambassadors awarded it to Poland

Peacekeeping 1920-25

•Upper Silesia, 1921• Both Germany and Poland

wanted control of this industrial area

• League split the area between the two

Peacekeeping 1920-25

•Corfu, 1923• Three Italian army officers shot

while working on a boundary dispute between Greece and Albania

• Mussolini blamed Greece and ordered compensation

• Greeks did not pay, Italy occupied Corfu

• Greece appealed to the League, but Italy ignored them

• Left when compensation was paid

Peacekeeping 1920-25•M

osul, 1924• Claimed by Turkey and Iraq

• Awarded the territory to Iraq, decision accepted

•Bulgaria, 1925• Greek invasion of Bulgaria

• League ordered both armies to stop fighting

• Investigation blamed the Greeks

• Accepted it and paid compensation