LoN + International peace

• What powers did the league have

  • Mitigation - disagreeing countries talk through issues
  • Moral condemnation - other members could publicly berate + put pressure on aggressor
  • Economic sanctions - members would stop trade with aggressor
  • Military force - members would contribute to army that would act against aggressor
• What were some potential problems for the LoN

  • aggressive countries could ignore them
  • countries wouldnt stop trade as they would lose money too
  • countries not in the league could still trade
  • Britain + France had strongest armies but they didn't want to fight as WW1 impacts were still fresh
• Why did USA join LoN

  • They didnt want to get involved in European affairs by supplying men or money
  • They didnt follow Britain + France's imperialistic ideas
  • The new president followed a new isolationist policy
• Why wasn't Russia in the League

  • They weren't allowed since they were communist
  • They didn't want to as they saw it as a club for capitalist countries
• Why wasnt Germany in the League

  Losers of WW1 werent allowed to join
• When did Soviet Union join LoN

  1934
• When did Germany leave LoN

  1933
• When did Japan leave LoN

  1933
• When did Italy leave LoN

  1937
• When was Soviet Union expelled from LoN

  1939
• What happened at Vilna (1920)


  • Was meant to be new capital of Lithuania
  • Many Polish people lived there so Poland wanted it and Invaded
• How did LoN respond to Vilna (1920)



  • Asked Poland to remove troops and was ignored
  • No further action was taken since Poland was needed as a potential force against Germany / Russia
  • showed that Lon wouldn't always act strongly against aggresion
• What caused the Polish-Soviet War (1919-21)



  • Poland wanted more parts of Ukraine + Russia
• How did LoN respond to Polish Soviet War (1920)




  • was unable to prevent
  • France + Britain supported Poland
  • Showed how LoN didnt value justice and big powers were biased
• What happened in the Aaland Islands (1921)


  • 6500 small islands / strategic naval bases between Sweden + Finland
  • Both went to LoN claiming ownership
• How did LoN respond to Aaland Islands (1921)


  • Gave them to Finland on the condition that they wouldnt use it as a military base
  • Both countries agreed to this
• What happened at Upper Silesia (1921-25)


  • Germany + Poland wanted this area since it was important for iron + steel production
• How did LoN respond to Upper Silesia (1921-25)


  • public vote was held in 1921
  • Germany angry that Poland got rich industrial areas
  • Poland angry that they had more of the population but less land and they thought the vote was fixed
  • Both countries accepted outcome but had tension between them
• What happened at Memel (1923)



  • Poland + Lithuania wanted this port
  • was meant to be governed by LoN
  • Lithuania seized port in 1923
• How did LoN respond to Memel (1923)


  • Lithuania could keep surrounding area but port had to be free
  • Lithuania agreed but had been rewarded even though they were an aggressor
• What happened at the Ruhr (1923)


  • France + Belgium invaded since Germany didnt keep up with reparations payments
• How did LoN respond to the Ruhr invasion (1923)


  • France did not consult LoN members
  • One of the leaders of LoN had gone against their ideals and LoN couldn't get involved
• What happened in Corfu (1923)


  • LoN sent men to survey Greek-Albanian border - they were murdered by unknown attackers
  • Mussolini blamed Greeks, Greeks claimed attackers could have been Albanian
  • Italy invaded Greek island of Corfu
• How did LoN respond to Corfu (1923)


  • Verbally condemned Mussolini
  • Mussolini threatened to leave if LoN got involved
  • France backed Italy as they were also invading the Ruhr at the time and didn't want the LoN involved
  • Greece made to apologise + pay compensation
  • Was now clear that LoN wouldn't enforce justice against a powerful member
  • France's lack of support was clear
• What happened in Bulgaria (1925)


  • Greek soldier crossed Bulgarian border chasing after dog and was shot by Bulgarians
  • Greece declared war + invaded
• How did LoN respond to Bulgaria (1925)


  • Ordered Greece to withdraw + offered no compensation but they had to pay for invasion
  • Greece agreed but accused LoN of hypocrisy as they hadn't been as firm at Corfu
• What other achievements did LoN have

  • Freed 200,000 enslaved people in Sierra Leone
  • Sent doctors to help in Turkish refugee camps
  • Exposed 4 large illegal drug companies
  • Helped Austria + Hungary to recover when they went bankrupt in 1923
• What were some failures of the LoN

  • Members didn't want to ban children under 14 working as it would be too expensive for businesses
  • Members didn't want to give up opium trade as it was very profitable
• When were the Locarno Treaties

  1925
• What did the Locarno treaties do

  • Germany accepted TofV and their new borders
  • Improved relationships between Germany and others
  • Reassured Germany and France that the other wouldn't invade
• Why did the Locarno Treaties impact the LoN negatively

  • Were agreed without LoN as Germany wasnt a member
  • LoN should have led this as France + UK were involved
  • Made LoN look redundant
• Why did the Kellogg-Briand Pact impact the LoN negatively

  • Agreed without LoN as Germany + USA were not members
  • showed that LoN wasnt significant in progress of international relationships
• When was the Kellogg-Briand pact signed

  1928
• What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact

  Nations who signed agreed that they would not use war to solve their disputes