HISTORY HW LEAGUE OF NATIONS
Key Issue
Membership of the League
How decisions were made in the League?
Powers of the Leagues organisations
Attitude of Britain and France towards
the League
Positive View
It had major powers like Britain and France, as well
as Italy and Japan. It had 58 nations as members
by the 1930s.
The League was like a kind of international
government, NOT an informal club, which allowed
countries to co-operate. The League had four
organisations: The Council, The Assembly, The
Commissions, and the Court of International
Justice and each organisation carried out
decisions which help the League work effectively.
It was set up by the Treaty of Versailles which
every nation had signed. To enforce its will, with
the help of its 4 organizations,: It could offer
arbitration through the Court of International
Justice. (e.g., between Sweden and Finland over
the Aaland Islands in 1921) or it could apply trade
sanctions against countries that went to war. (e.g.
Manchuria and Abyssinia in the 1930s) or use
moral condemnation (e.g. in 1925, the Greeks
stopped invading Bulgaria when the League
condemned them) or agree to military force,
although it had no army.
Britain and France wanted the League to be sort of
an informal club so that in a crisis, the big nations
would get together. This was called the Council of
Ambassadors.
Negative View
The USA, with all of its money and troops which
would help the League work effectively, did NOT
join. Germany and the USSR only joined much later.
Without these powers, the League was too weak to
make a big country do as it wished (for instance,
Italy over Corfu in 1923). 2 main leaders, Britain and
France, who had the real power in the League,
were both already weakened by the First World
War.
Decisions had to be unanimous, e.g. the Assembly
met only once a year and every vote had to be
unanimous. This meant that reaching decisions
could be a very slow process.
It was set up by the Treaty of Versailles (which
every nation hated). The Treaty was hated,
especially by the Germans and Americans, so the
League was hated too. Its aims were too
ambitious and it had no army. Its organisation
was cumbersome and was a muddle, so when
there was a crisis, no-one could agree.
Britain and France had their own priorities. Britain
wanted to protect its empire. France worried about
another attack from Germany. Both countries put
these concerns ahead of the Leagues priorities.