League of Nations - 1920s

• The League did not suffer any major failures in the 1920s, but it also did not face any major challenges.
• Aaland Islands - The first ever test for the League was between Finland and Sweden for control of the Aaland Islands in 1921. It was successfully dealt with when the islands were given to Finland.
• Corfu Crisis - In 1923, the new dictator of Italy, Mussolini, wanted a major incident to consolidate his position of power. When an Italian general was killed in Greek territory, he used it as an excuse to capture Corfu. The League condemned his actions however, the British and French could not agree on a course of action and finally agreed that the Greeks must apologise and pay compensation to Italy.
• Greece-Bulgaria Crisis – In 1925 some Greek soldiers were killed in a small fight on the border between Greece and Bulgaria. The Greeks were angry and invaded Bulgaria. The League ordered a ceasefire and punished Greece.
• The League failed in its pursuit to get countries to disarm. At the Washington Conference in 1921 the USA, Japan, Britain and France agreed to limit the size of their navies. This, however, was as far as disarmament went.
• There were several international agreements reached in the 1920s outside of the League of Nations made in the spirit of internationalism.
• Dawes Plan 1924 – USA lent money to Germany to help its industry recover and rebuild
• Locarno Treaty 1925 – Germany and other countries agreed to its western border changes
• Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928 – Signed by 65 countries as an official agreement to never go to war
• Young Plan 1929 – Reparations that Germany had to pay were reduced