The League of Nations and international peace

• LofN aims


  Disarmament

  Encourage co-operation

  Stop aggression

  Improve social condition
• Membership


  42 but 59 by 1930's, Russia, Germany and US not part - club of winners
• Assembly


  Each country had one vote
• Council


  Met several times yearly and in emergencies 4 permanent members and rotating temporary members had veto (GB FRANCE JAPAN ITALY)
• Moral condemnation


  Pressure on country
• Secretariat


  Filing, paperwork
• Permanent court of international justice

  Made rulings, had Nono power to enforce
• Economic sanctions


  Refuse to trade
• Send in troops


  Doesn't have an army, have to send their own
• Aaland islands


  Sweden and Finland, listened to court
• Helped do what in 1920's

  Refugees, highway codes, malaria
• Success in 1920's


  Germany disarmed

  Locarno treaties 1925 accepted borders Germany

  Germany entered 1926
• Other successes in 1920's


  Dawes plan - US loans

  Young plan - reparations

  Locarno - reparations

  Washington conference - disarmament
• League weaknesses


  US not part

  Has no actual power

  No permanent army

  Disarmament unrealistic

  Structure = mess, slow due to unanimous
• Depression 1930's


  High unemployment

  Hitler in power
• Lebensbaum


  Living space for Aryans
• Manchuria


  China and US had tariffs - Japan in crisis (silk industry)

  Would become a power

  Claimed Chinese sabotaged there railway in china

  Army strong and wanted military success

  China appealed and Japan vetoed

  Lord Lytton takes a year to write a report and says Japan = wrong

  Japan leave league - league failed
• Mussolini


  Rebuild Roman Empire
• Disarmament Conference of 1932


  Hitler walks out, nobody drop to his level so he builds army
• Disarmament


  Nobody willing to disarm
• Abyssinia


  Italy had colonies close

  Had coal and oil

  Japan got away with it

  Salassie appeals to league

  Roman Empire
• Why were league nice to Mussolini in Abyssinian crisis

  Gave economic sanction but ineffective ones (not guns and stuff)

  Gave Mussolini half of Abyssinia

  Hoare and Laval pact

  Mussolini invades all
• Why did league fail


  Leaders selfish

  Too slow

  No army

  Economic sanctions didn't work