CONTENT OUTLINE Birth of the League of Nations The United States, Isolationism and the League of Nations Work of the League The League in the 1920s Working for a Better World The League and Economic Depression The League and the Invasion of Manchuria, 1931 The League and the Invasion of Abyssinia, 1935 The Failure of Disarmament
President Wilsons vision of a League prevailed. He insisted that discussions about the League to be part of the peace treaties, and in 1919, he personally took charge of drawing up plans for the League. In February 1919, he had proposed an ambitious plan. All major nations would join the League. All nations would disarm All disputes between countries would be taken and resolved by the League, and its decisions were to be accepted and respected. A Covenant was to be set up, and should any nation break the covenant and go to war, other nations were to cease economic relations with it and send troops to intervene if necessary.
There were several concerns raised about Wilsons plan. Some were worried about his idealistic approach towards international relations. These detractors felt that nations would not act in the way he suggested in the event of war, or that the Leagues decisions would not be accepted by nations in the event of conflict. However, many people in Europe were willing to give Wilsons plan a try. They hoped that the threat of economic sanctions and military intervention imposed by major powers in the name of the League was a strong deterrent for countries to go to war. By 1919, there was hope that the League of Nations would be a powerful peacemaker, with the United States in the driving seat.
Together, people against the League of Nations for various reasons above formed a powerful opposition to the United States joining the organisation. They were soon joined by many of President Wilsons political opponents. The Political Battle Congressional approval was required for the United States to join the League of Nations. President Wilson was a member of the Democratic Party, and he had run the United States for eight troubled years. The Republicans, the opponents of the Democrats, saw this controversy as an ideal opportunity to defeat Wilson and the Democrats. This played out in the political battle to join the League in 1919-1920. President Wilson conducted a nation-wide tour to drum up support for joining the League by convincing the masses that this was a good idea. However, Wilson often fell ill on the campaign trail, and his proposal was defeated in Congress in 1919. Wilson became seriously ill after a stroke in 1920. However, he continued to campaign in favour of joining the League, and took the proposal back to Congress in March 1920. It was defeated once again. In the 1920 Presidential Election, Wilson was too ill to consider a re-election bid. However, the Democrats did not give up in campaigning for joining the League. They were convinced that if the United States did not involve itself in international affairs, another global conflict might follow. Wilsons successor as Democratic candidate, James Cox, made joining the League of Nations a major part of his election campaign. The Republic candidate, Warren Harding, campaigned on an isolationist platform, on the slogan Return to Normalcy, referring to life as it was before the war, with the United States isolating itself from European affairs. The Republicans won in a landslide victory.
Membership of the League of Nations The absence of the United States meant that Britain, France and Japan were the most powerful countries in the League. Throughout the 1920s and the 1930s, it was Britain and France who usually guided policy and decision-making in the League. Any action taken by the League would require their support. However, both countries were poorly placed to take on this role. Both had been weakened by the First World War. Neither country had the resources to fill the gap left by the United States. Many felt that the United States was the only nation with the resources or influence to make the League work. Both countries had other priorities as well, especially after the destruction the First World War had caused their countries economies. o The British were much more interested in restoring Britains economic health by rebuilding British trade, as well as looking after the vast British Empire rather than becoming an international police force. The French were still concerned about Germany. They were worried that without an army of its own, the League would be too weak to protect France from its powerful neighbour. It did not think Britain would be willing to send an army to help it. This made France prepared to bypass the League if necessary to strengthen its position against Germany.
Structure of the League of Nations The Covenant laid out the Leagues structure and the rules for each of the bodies within it. The Secretariat The main duty of the Secretariat was to keep records of League meetings and prepare reports for different agencies of the League The Secretariat had specialist sections covering areas such health, disbarment and economic matters.
The Council The Council was a small group that met often, about five times a year and in case of emergencies. It was made up of permanent and temporary members. Permanent Members included Italy, Japan, Britain and France. As permanent members, these nations were entitled to a veto. This allowed the permanent member to stop the Council from acting even if all other members agreed. Temporary Members were elected by the Assembly for three-year periods. The number of temporary members varied between four and nine at different times in the Leagues history.
The idea behind the Council was that it could settle disputes between countries before things got out of hand. If things did get out of hand, the Council could use a range of powers. Moral Condemnation: The Council could decide which country was the aggressor in a conflict, and which country was to blame for the trouble. They had the power to condemn the aggressor and tell it to stop what it was doing. Economic and Financial Sanctions: The Council could order members of the League to refuse trade with the aggressor, thus inflicting harm on its economy and pressuring the nation to cease its aggressive actions. Military Force: The armed forces of member countries could be used against an aggressor.
The Assembly The Assembly served as the Leagues parliament. Every nation that was part of the League sent a representative to the Assembly, which met once a year. The Assembly could recommend action to the Council and vote on admitting new members to the League appointing temporary members of the Council the Budget of the League other ideas put forward by the Council
Decisions by the Assembly had to be made unanimously, meaning that every member of the Assembly had to agree to the action proposed. The Permanent Court of International Justice The Permanent Court of International Justice was meant to be a key part of the Leagues job of settling disputes between countries peacefully. The Court was based at The Hague in the Netherlands, and was made up of judges from member countries. If asked, the Court had the right to give a decision on a border dispute between two countries, and could give legal advice to the Assembly or to the Council. While conventional courts in individual member countries could enforce its rulings through law enforcement agencies and through the
government, the international nature of the Court meant that it had no way of making sure that the countries followed its rulings. The International Labour Organisation The International Labour Organisation (ILO) brought together employers, governments and workers representatives once a year. It aimed to improve the conditions of working people throughout the world, collecting statistics and information about working conditions and persuading member countries to adopt its suggestions. The League of Nations Commissions The League of Nations attempted to tackle major issues facing the world in the 1920s and the 1930s. It set up commissions and committees to address these issues, mostly unrelated to disputes or global security. The Mandates Commission: The First World War had led to many former German colonies and her allies ending up under the administration of Britain and France in the name of the League. The Mandates Commission ensured that Britain and France acted in the interest of the League and not self-interests in running these mandates. The Refugees Committee: This Committee helped return refugees to their original homes after the end of the First World War, which had displaced millions across Europe. The Slavery Commission: This Committee worked to abolish slavery around the world. The Health Committee: This Committee attempted to deal with the problem of dangerous diseases, as well as to educate the general public about health and sanitation.
Weaknesses of the Organisation and Structure of the League The League of Nations had a few fundamental weaknesses in its structure and organisation that would hamper its work in time to come. Absence of the United States: The United States did not join the League due to isolationist sentiments across the country. The absence of the United States meant that the League was less able to stand up to powerful aggressors. The great military, financial and political backing the United States could have provided to the League was lost. Exclusion of Germany and Russia: Germany and its defeated allies were originally excluded from the League. Germany, a large European power, was only allowed to join the League in 1926, but this original exclusion was a cause of resentment by German nationalists. This exclusion from international politics made it difficult for Germany to negotiate with other powers later in the 1930s. Russia, though not a defeated nation, was not invited either. In 1919, Russia had just become a communist state, and the capitalist West felt that Russia was not trustworthy enough to join the League, until 1934. Domination by Britain and France: Without the United States, Russia or Germany in the League, Britain and France were the only major European powers. This made the League an instrument of British and French foreign policy, especially designed for their benefit. As the two greatest powers in the League, Britain and France would have to take the lead on action, including military action, if the League were to be successful. However, neither power was prepared to do so as they did not want to provoke another major war. Lack of a Standing Army: The League of Nations did not have a standing army to respond quickly to international conflict. The only thing it could do in cases of military intervention would be to raise an army from different countries. Members were allowed to decide if it wanted to contribute troops, which was the pinnacle of the concept of collective security. Need for Unanimous Decisions in the Assembly: The fact that decisions made in the Assembly needed the unanimous consent of members made decision-making slow, thus hampering the work of the League of Nations in responding to situations and conflicts.
In the end, the League did nothing, and Vilna remained in Polish hands. This was seen as a failure on the part of the League. Upper Silesia, 1921 Upper Silesia was an industrial region situated on the border between Germany and Poland. Both Germans and Poles inhabited it, and both countries wanted control over the area, largely for its rich iron and steel industries. In 1920, a plebiscite was organised for Silesians to decide which country they wished to join. British and French soldiers were sent to keep peace during the voting process. The industrial areas mainly voted to stay in Germany, while the rural areas voted in favour of joining Poland. The League decided to carve Upper Silesia along these lines. Many safeguards were established to prevent such further disputes. Rail links between the two countries were safeguarded, and water and power supplies from one side of the border to the other could be arranged.
Both countries accepted the decision. Upper Silesia was a success for the League of Nations.
10
Aaland Islands, 1921 Both Finland and Sweden wanted control of the Aaland Islands, located midway between the two countries. Both countries were threatening to fight over the islands. Both sides appealed to the League for intervention. After studying the matter closely, the League concluded that the islands should go to Finland. The Swedish accepted the Leagues ruling and war was avoided, and this peaceful resolution was seen as a major success for the League. Corfu, 1923 The border between Greece and Albania was one boundary that the Conference of Ambassadors was tasked with sorting out. An Italian general named Tellini was ordered to supervise this process. On 27 August, while they were surveying the Greek side of the frontier, Tellini and his team were ambushed and killed. Mussolini, the Italian leader, was furious and blamed the Greek government for the murder. On 29 August, he demanded that the Greeks pay compensation to Italy and execute the murders, but the Greeks had no idea who the murderers were. On 31 August, Mussolini ordered the Greek island of Corfu to be bombarded and then occupied, killing 15 people. Greece appealed to the League for help. The situation was serious, but the Council was already in session and could act swiftly. By 7 September, only seven days after the bombardment of Corfu, the Council had its judgment. It condemned Mussolinis actions, but suggested that Greece pay compensation and that the League would hold this money. If Tellinis killers were found, this money would be paid back to Italy. Mussolini pretended to accept the Leagues decisions, but got to work on the Conference of Ambassadors and persuaded it to change the Leagues ruling. He succeeded, and the Greeks had to apologise and pay compensation directly to Italy. On 27 September, Mussolini withdrew from Corfu boasting of his triumph.
The Corfu incident was seen as a massive failure for the League of Nations. Bulgaria, 1925 In October 1925, Greece invaded Bulgaria after an incident on the border in which some Greek soldiers were killed. Bulgaria appealed to the League for help, and sent instructions to its army. The League condemned the Greek action, and ordered Greece to pull out and pay compensation to Bulgaria. Faced with the disapproval of major powers in the League, the Greeks obeyed, but raised concerns about how there seemed to be a set of rules for larger states such as Italy and another for the smaller ones.
11
The Geneva Protocol The Corfu incident effectively demonstrated how larger powers within the League of Nations could undermine its very aim and framework of fair and peaceful resolutions to conflicts. In response, Britain and France drew up the Geneva Protocol in 1924, which said that if two members were in dispute, they would have to ask the League to sort out the disagreement. They hoped that this would strengthen the League. However, there was a General Election in Britain at the same time, before the plan could be put in effect. The new Conservative government refused to sign the protocol, which they believed that was not in their own interests.
Thus, the Protocol, meant to strengthen the League, was ultimately not passed. Disarmament in the 1920s In the 1920s, the League largely failed in bringing about disarmament, largely due to international disagreements and member nations refusing to disarm, setting a precedent for other nations to refuse doing so. At the Washington Conference of 1921, the United States, Britain, France and Japan agreed to limit the size of their armed forces, but that was as far disarmament got in the 1920s. In 1923, the Leagues first attempt at a disarmament treaty was accepted by France and other nations, but was rejected by Britain on the grounds that it would tie to defending other countries. In 1926, plans were drawn for a disarmament conference, but it took five years to draw up a draft convention, which commenced in 1933. However, this convention was rejected by Germany.
The Locarno Treaties In October 1925, representatives of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Poland and Czechoslovakia met in Locarno in Switzerland to discuss ensuring peace in Europe, and to resolve some disagreements left over from the First World War and the Treaty of Versailles. The conference was a success. After many days of negotiation, the conference emerged with several important agreements. Germany finally accepted its borders with France and Belgium laid out in the Treaty of Versailles. Britain and Italy guaranteed to protect France in the event of a German invasion. Germany accepted that the Rhineland, which bordered France, would be a demilitarised zone. France and Germany agreed to settle further disputes through the League of Nations.
12
The Locarno Treaties marked the dawn of a period of relative peace in Europe. The treaties were greeted with enthusiasm throughout Europe and especially in France. France finally felt that it was given some form of guarantee of border security. When the news of the agreements were announced, church bells were rung, fireworks were set off and there were massive celebrations across the country. Germany had shown more goodwill towards France than ever before, paving the way for Germany to join the League of Nations in 1926. The Kellogg-Briand Pact, 1928 When signed in 1928, the Kellogg-Briand Pact seemed to be the high point in international relations in the 1920s. Signatories agreed that war was condemned as a means of solving international disputes and it was rejected as an instrument of policy. It was agreed that the settlement to all disputes would be sought only through peaceful means. However, the Kellogg-Briand Pact said nothing about what would happen if states broke its terms, and neither did it help the League of Nations in disarmament. The states all agreed that armies would have to be kept for self-defence. However, despite its shortcomings, the Pact was seen as a sign of the most stable geopolitical situation in the 1920s.
13
Apart from resolving international disputes, the League of Nations had set itself to fight poverty, disease and injustice all over the world through its committees and commissions. Refugees: The League did tremendous work in helping refugees and former prisonersof-war back to their homelands. It is estimated that in the first few years after the war, 400000 displaced people were returned by the Leagues agencies. Working Conditions: The International Labour Organisation banned poisonous white lead from paint and also limited the hours that small children were allowed to work. It campaigned strongly for employers to improve working conditions generally. It introduced the maximum 48-hour workweek, and an eight-hour day, but few countries adopted it for fear of raising industrial costs. Health: The Health Committee worked hard to defeat leprosy, and started a global campaign to exterminate mosquitoes, which led to reduced cases of malaria and yellow fever in later decades. The Health Committee was so respected that even the USSR, which was otherwise opposed to the League, took the advice of the Health Committee in preventing plague in Siberia. Transport: The League made recommendations on marking shipping lanes and produced an international highway code for users. Social Problems: The League was at the forefront in the fight against slavery and drugs. It blacklisted four large German, Dutch, French and Swiss companies involved in the illegal drug trade. It brought about the freeing of 200000 slaves in British-owned Sierra Leone. It organised raids against slave owners and traders in Burma. It campaigned against the use of forced labour, such as in building the Tanganyika railway in Africa, where the death rate among African workers was 50%. The Leagues pressure brought this figure down to 4%.
14
This created a cycle of economic decline throughout the world. More importantly, the depression spurred severe economic and political changes for countries across the world. Britain: Unemployment was at record levels, and the British government was unwilling to get involved in sorting out international disputes when its economy was in suffering and in a mess. Britain was even less enthusiastic about actively participating in the League of Nations in the 1930s. Germany: Mass poverty and unemployment led people to elect the Nazis to power, who were elected on a platform of solving Germanys economic and social problems. The Nazis, led by Adolf Hitler, were open about their plans to withdraw from the Treaty of Versailles and regain lost German territory. The Nazis later led Germany out of the League in 1933. This political upheaval in Germany also spurred France to start building the Maginot Line, a series of frontier defences on its border with Germany. Japan: The depression caused a decline in trade, which was Japans main source of national income, thus threatening the collapse of its industry. This financial decline led Japan to take over Manchuria in China. Italy: Economic problems encouraged Mussolini to attempt to build an overseas empire to distract peoples attention from the economic difficulties at home, often speaking of restoring the glory of the Roman Empire. United States: The United States was unwilling to support economic sanctions against nations proposed by the League of Nations when its trade was in decline.
15
Military leaders that wielded great influence over Japanese government policy felt that they had the solution to Japans economic woes to build up a Japanese empire by force. In 1931, an incident in Manchuria gave them their chance. The Mukden Incident The South Manchurian Railway travelled through Manchuria and was built and controlled by the Japanese, carrying Japanese goods into Manchuria and the rest of China. The railway brought food and raw materials back to Japan. In September 1931, the Japanese claimed that Chinese soldiers had sabotaged the railway. In retaliation, the Japanese army invaded Manchuria and set up a puppet government in February 1932. They renamed Manchuria Manchukuo. Even though the civilian government in Japan ordered their forces to withdraw from Manchuria, their instructions were ignored. By then, it was clear that the military and not the government that was in control of Japans foreign policy.
16
Response of the League China appealed to the League for help. Japan claimed that it was not invading Manchuria as an aggressor but in order to sort out the political instability there, which they claimed was infringing on their national security. Thus, Japan felt that it had the right to invade in selfdefence and keep peace. This complex dispute was not easy for the League to resolve. Furthermore, it had to handle the situation carefully, as Japan was a leading member of the League. The Leagues officials had to sail around the world to assess the situation in Manchuria. In September 1932, one year after the invasion of Manchuria, these officials could present their report. While the report was fair and balanced, it was clear that Japan had acted unlawfully and that Manchuria should be returned to China. In February 1933, in open defiance of the League, not only did Japan announce that it was not going to withdraw from Manchuria, but it was going to invade more of China, still based on the argument of self-defence. On 24 February 1933, the report proposed by the Leagues officials on Manchuria was approve 42-1 by the Assembly, with Japan being the sole dissenter. Angered at this insult, Japan withdrew from the League of Nations on 27 March 1933.
Economic sanctions were discussed, but without the United States, which was Japans main trading partner, these sanctions would be meaningless. The United States refused to impose economic sanctions. Britain was more interested in maintaining good relations with Japan, rather than agreeing to impose sanctions on her. The League considered a ban on arms sales, but member countries could not even agree about that. There was no prospect of the League sending troops to remove Japan by force. Britain and France, the two most powerful nations in the League, did not want to risk their armies or navies. Only the United States and the Soviet Union would have the resources to remove Japan from Manchuria by force, but they were not even members of the League.
The League was unable to do anything to stop Japan, mainly because of a refusal to cooperate among its own members.
17
The Italian armed forces launched a full-scale invasion of Abyssinia in October 1935. This was a clear case of a larger nation attacking a smaller nation, which was the exact nature of conflicts the League was set up to resolve. The League of Nations Covenant was clear that
18
in such situations, sanctions must be introduced against the aggressor immediately. A committee was set up to agree what sanctions to impose on Italy. Sanctions would only work effectively if they were introduced immediately. The committee quickly imposed several trade and economic sanctions on Italy, including bans on arms sales, rubber, tin and metal exports to Italy. However, the League delayed a decision on whether it would impose a ban on oil exports to Italy. They were afraid that the United States would not support the sanctions at a time when there global trade volume was falling. More importantly, the League feared that the economic interests of its members would be further damaged by this ban. The League also refused to close the Suez Canal, which was the Italians main supply route to Abyssinia, even though Britain and France owned it. Closing the canal would end the Italian campaign almost immediately. However, both Britain and France were afraid that closing the canal would result in war with Italy. Thus, nothing was done about closing the Suez Canal. This was fatal for Abyssinia. Equally damaging to the League was secret dealing between the British and the French. In December 1935, when sanctions discussions were ongoing, the British and French foreign ministers were hatching a plan to give Mussolini two-thirds of Abyssinia in return for pulling his troops out of the country. In fact, the plan was even proposed to Mussolini before it was sent to the League or Haile Selassie. The French told the British that if the Italians did not support the plan, the French would no longer support sanctions against Italy. o Details of this plan were leaked to the French press, and were a disaster for the League. In both Britain and France, the plan was seen as a blatant act of treachery against the League. The United States was disgusted by the negotiations of the French and the British than they had been before, and blocked a move to support the Leagues sanctions. More importantly, this leak damaged the sanctions discussions, which lost all momentum. In fact, the decision whether or not to ban oil sales was further delayed. It was only in February 1936 did the committee conclude that Italys oil supply would run out in two months if the ban was imposed. By then, it was too late Italy had conquered large parts of Abyssinia.
On 7 March 1936, Hitler marched his troops into the Rhineland, contravening the Treaty of Versailles. The French were desperate to gain the support of Italy in warding off Germany, and were now even more willing to give up Abyssinia to Mussolini. However, Italy continued to defy the Leagues orders, and in May 1936 had taken over Abyssinias capital. Haile Selassie was forced into exile soon after, and Mussolini formally annexed the country. The League watched on helplessly as the Italians conquered Abyssinia. The League had failed.
19
As a whole, disarmament failed because many countries were more concerned about their individual interests rather than heeding the League.
20