Failures of LoN

• The Manchurian crisis occurred in 1931-33
• why did japan invade manchuria?

  wanted living space for growing population = at 1M increase per year

  • provide market for japanese goods within asia = economy was declining following depression, largest export of silk wasn’t being bought
  • japan was mountainous & they wanted to be able to grow crops such as rice
  • access raw materials for goods = iron, coal, timber
• why was the league reluctant to take action in manchuria?

  preserve own economies following depression

  • maintain good relationship with japan as powerful nation
  • didn’t want to sacrifice their military unnecessarily = unwilling to impose military sanctions as no nation were willing to sacrifice following WWI or depression
• economic sanctions would have been ineffective in japan anyway as the USA was japan’s leading trading partner

  • the USA wasn’t part of the league
  • therefore USA would continue to trade with japan & the sanctions imposed by the league would be useless
• the league eventually sent lord Lytton & his advisers to write a report on the Manchurian situation

  • took 8 months to travel before taking 6 weeks to write a report = published a year after china appealed to league (1932)
  • general assembly votes & finds japan guilty = uses moral condemnation to tell japan to remove themselves
  • then reluctant to do more = due to self-interest, relationship with japan & worries of retaliation
• japan left the league on 27 march 1933 after being voted guilty by the assembly

  • they announced they intended to invade more of china = arguing self-defence
• the league‘s actions in Manchuria were totally ineffective = displayed lack of strength

  • show self-interest takes priority as unwilling to sacrifice armies, economies & international relations despite being leaders of the league
  • prioritise only their own recovery
• the failure of Manchuria sent a message to other aggressors such as Hitler & mussolini that the league were prepared to do very little to prevent the action of aggressors

  • also demonstrated that they are weak without the assistance of the USA
• the world disarmament conference took place in 1932-34
• the league was partly responsible for the failure of the conference as they were unable to make an effective decision in time of crisis

  • they also displayed huge national interest & hypocrisy as no country was willing to disarm to Germany’s extent
• disarmament on all fronts would put the league’s leading countries at risk for attack

  • hypocrisy was shown as they forced Germany to make these sacrifices with no aid however failed to agree on them themselves
  • prioritised themselves only & abandoned promise of equality and preservation of world peace
• Hitler later used the fact that other countries refused to disarm as an excuse for his own disarmament

  • germany walked out of the conference in 1933 due to impatience with the lack of decision = therefore needing some of the blame for the failure of the conference
• The Abyssinian crisis took place 1935-36
• Mussolini invaded Abyssinia to:

  • boost popularity following depression
  • distract Italians from true impact of depression by preparing them for war
  • matter of revenge = Italian army was humiliated & defeated by Abyssinian’s in 1896 after attempting to colonise country
  • resolve disappointment of 1919 = Italy failed to receive dominant share in germany’s colonies & access natural and mineral resources
• the Abyssinian army was equipped with only outdated rifles, spears & arrows whilst Italy had tanks, planes and poison gas
• following border dispute at wal-wal in 1934 = Italians built a fort within Abyssinian border & soon began build-up of forces within Somaliland and Eritrea

  • Italian attack launched in October 1935 without formal declaration of war
  • abyssinian emperor then appealed to LoN in 1935 and performed a speech
• ballot taken in Britain in 1934-35 = showed British public supported use of military force to defend Abyssinia if necessary

  • there was no sympathy for Italy within public
• by September 1935 - league concluded neither side was to blame for wal-was incident & put forward a plan to give Italy some of abyssinia

  • mussolini rejected this
• following mussolini’s rejection = economic sanctions were introduced & Italy was condemned by league. however:

  • preoccupied with maintaining relationship with Italy = was leading member of council
  • 1935 stresa pact had just been signed against German rearmament. unwilling to dispute as italy could potentially back out, form alliance with Germany
• therefore the sanctions put in place against Italy were minimal & had little effect in preventing the invasion due to Britain & France’s self-interest

  • they excluded valuable war materials such as oil & coal from sanctions list
  • the suez canal remained open out of fear for attack on British colonies = was the main passageway for Italian army supply
  • USA also continued trade with Italy
• the league was therefore attempting to pursue two contradictory policies at the same time within the abyssinian crisis

  • they wanted to appear to be preserving peace & leading the league whilst also maintaining relations with Italy
• the hoare-laval pact was a secret deal devised between the british & french foreign ministers to give Mussolini two-thirds of Abyssinia in return for stopping the war
• the french minister told the British that the french would no longer support sanctions against Italy if they didn’t agree to the hoare-laval pact
• the details of the secret pact were then leaked to the press:

  • showed Britain & France had abandoned aims and terms of the league and disregarded their place as leading nations
  • policy of collective security abandoned = operating out of self-interest, secrecy
  • no longer prioritising world peace
  • working behind the back of country they were meant to be helping & assisting the aggressor = undermined all respect, authority, integrity
• the USA was so disgusted with the actions of Britain & France that they dismissed a plan to assist with sanctions & upped oil sales to Italy following the secret pact
• Italy successfully conquered all of Abyssinia in 1936
• in march 1936 = Hitler marched troops into the rhineland against the treaty of Versailles

  • the french now wanted Italy’s support against Germany = they would no longer assist in sanctions against them, were willing to pay the price of abyssinia
  • however the french did not act against Hitler at this point as they didn’t have the support of Britain, who was distracted with abyssinia
• the league condemned themselves within their dealings of the Abyssinian crisis as they pursued two contradictory policies at the same time = wanted to appear to be pursuing peace whilst prioritising own self-interest & alliances

  • wanted to please italy whilst also imposing sanctions so could seem as if they were helping Abyssinia
  • resulted in Italy leaving the league in 1937
• effects of great depression?

  • less money
  • political issues = anger & resentment, extremist rise
  • social issues = poverty, hunger, homelessness
  • economic issues = unemployment, falling wages, inflation etc
  • international issues = struggling nations attempting to expand to rebuild economy
• great depression?

  made league unwilling to impose economic & military sanctions = undermined authority

  • unwilling to take action against aggressors at Risk of own economies
  • Britain = unwilling to assist in disputes
  • USA = unwilling to assist in sanctions, continued trade etc
  • major cause of crises that resulted in leagues failure
• lack of great powers in league?

  • usa didn’t join = sanctions were ineffective
  • unable to impose working economic sanctions = depression & USA was wealthiest country, least impacted by WWI. USA would have assisted in sanctions & authority, however without USA continued trade with aggressors making league ineffective
  • usa would have also helped with militarism & military sanctions as no country was willing to sacrifice military
  • Would have increased authority
• Self interest?

  sanctions were usually ineffective = due to countries prioritising themselves over the league

  • Britain & France were unwilling to risk their own country & economy following depression = also unwilling to sacrifice relations, out of fear for loss of trade or retaliation
  • Many countries also weakened by WWI = first priorities was always own recovery & national affairs
  • however the depression was a vital cause in heightening the self-interest of these countries = without it, this may not have been such an issue
• ineffective sanctions?

  economic & military sanctions entirely ineffective = lack of USA & league’s own army. therefore had to rely on moral condemnation which achieved nothing

  • inability to act resulted in lack of authority
  • economic sanctions = could be imposed however self-interest presented effective use of them, as well as lack of USA
  • military sanctions = never used; members unwilling to sacrifice them due to economic losses and self-interest
• Why was the league slow to react to aggression?


  leaders’ self interest = LoN not first priority; unwilling to sacrifice armies & economies

  • Poor structure of the league = need for unanimous votes, VETO, council & assembly infrequent meetings