Title: League of Nations

Outline/Script

Causes of formation
Historical bg yashvi
1) Treaty of versailles
2) Causes for formation of the League
3) Formation- When,how,where,members
4) Dominance of the allies
Germany was excluded from the League Nations as stated by its Covenant
5) Aims
6) Organization- Assembly, council, Secretariat,
The Permanent Court of International Justice, International Labour Organization. - Both
Independent from the League but their Budget was incorporated in the League and
approved by the Assembly.
The Paris Peace Conference (1919) - Significance

Performance Ashna
7) Role of US
8) Activities

Reasons for failure. Shravani

9) Failure
10) Consequences and aftermath
11) Forerunner of UNO

Why was it formed

Performance
Reason of failure

Main points

Obviously all peripheral info

 Introduction:
There has been no war without atrocity. War is pure atrocity and greed.
Nationalism and faith help us pretend otherwise.
- Michael Marshal

Good morning to one and all, Today, group 1 would like to present on the topic:
League of Nations which was formed as the aftermath of the First World War.
Calling upon Yashvi to explain how this league was formed.

Despite its ultimate limitations as a peacekeeping body, recent scholarship has

emphasized the League’s relative successes in stabilizing new states,
safeguarding minorities, managing the evolution of colonies into notionally
sovereign states, and policing transnational trafficking; in doing so, it paved
the way for the creation of the United Nations.

Role of US in the League

The US did not sign the covenant to the League of Nations.An attitude of indifference was
adopted. Unofficial organization- Rockefeller Foundation started working with the league. Soon
there was a policy change towards the matters of the league and America appointed official
representatives to attend the meetings of the League but their role was declared as unofficial.
After the government change in 1924. US representative at 2 confs in 1925 and 4 Conferences
in 1927. In 1928- 3 important diplomatic conferences.
"willingness of the United States to cooperate freely, fully, and helpfully with the League in
matters of genuine international concern." Policy of Non-interference in political affairs of other
nations. Not involved in European politics by accepting the membership.
Public Health Office in Paris was created with the help of the US. In 1921 when the Health
Committee was created the League wanted to transfer the functions of the office to the
committee however US opposed this which led to the failure of this plan.The work of the US in
the health sector has been limited to some 20 health officials and a number of individual
Americans with no official support.US played a leading role in the signing of the Opium
Convention at The Hague. American insistence- Provision in the Covenant of the League-
General supervision of drug traffic. In the Hague Convention- US did not agree to the role of the
League in this area- anomalous position. The US refused to sign agreements or make any
appointments even if its officials were present for the Convention. They were unofficially
represented and not an official part of the league thus they did not feel bound to actively
participate in the operations of the League. The US never accepted the invitations for any
Conference and ene if they didi its representative always acted in an unofficial capacity. The US
limited its help only till its self interest was fulfilled and made the functioning of the league
difficult. In 1923- Council- Investigation of International Traffic of women and girl- Financed by
the Unofficial American Bureau of Social Hygiene but the US government bore no financial or
moral responsibility.

Two other distinctly "humanitarian" efforts of the League have borne fruit in the treaty of
September 12, 1923, concerning the suppression of the traffic in obscene publications, and the
treaty of September 25, 1926, concerning the abolition of slavery.
Slavery Convention in 1925.

One of the great services rendered by the League has been its registration of international
treaties and engagements and its publication of the texts in the League of Nations treaty series.
Not only does this serve to protect all states against secret treaties, but it also serves to furnish
the whole world with a convenient compendium of the world's treaty law.
The US did not register any of the treaties in the League of Nations registry. In 1925- It sent
some printed copies to the League which served as an example of avoiding secret
engagements.But it still did not fully engage with the League.

Economic work of the League- increased attention by the US Govt. official participation in the
Economic Conference in 1927 and in the two conferences of 1927 and 1928 on Import and
Export Prohibitions and Restrictions. The role of the US was important as it being an economic
superpower. Since the US is not represented in the Council it has no say in the working of any
of the committees of the League or in its conferences but only with the help of some American
experts. No official representative in any conference. It does not have any voiced opinion in the
initiatives and the final judgements taken in the conference.

In these eight years the United States has contributed about $22,000 to the League of Nations
which is not paid by the Government but the private organizations related to the various
activities of the League and not any administrative expenses such as for salaries of permanent
officials, for the printing of documents and the expense of communication with governments.

The subsidiary bodies under the Assembly and the Council included
technical organizations- finance and economics, transit, and health; and temporary
or permanent advisory committees including military matters, international
intellectual cooperation, child protection, women issues, opium, mandates, of
the League of Nations, and the committees monitoring the Member States'
financial contributions; and also temporary committees e.g. disarmament. These
committees deal with every problem in detail and look for solutions. The data
collection and analysis they have carried out has provided information on a wide
range of issues, covering all Member States, and has greatly helped to address a
wide range of scientific, economic, social, health, culture and other issues.
The conferences held by these organizations built the foundation of further
international co-operation.

The various committees of the League

1) The Refugees Committee - worked to get those people who had been made
homeless after the First World War, back home. (1921)
2) The Slavery Commission (1924) - wanted to abolish Slavery across the entire globe
3) Health Committee (1921) - Public Health as priority. The League recognized that
National Health work depends on international Cooperation. It sought to improve access
to healthcare around the world.
4) The Permanent Mandates Commission set up to deal with the
colonies of Germany and Turkey(1920)

Article 22 of the League's Covenant gave it the power to distribute former German
and Turkish colonies to member nations to administer. Each former colony
was known as a mandated territory, or mandate, while each administering
nation was known as a mandatory. The Mandatory countries included the
Allied powers.
The Mandates were divided into 3 groups based on their geographical location
and their economic political development.
Turkey’s Middle East territories- Class A
Germany’s African Colonies- Class B
Germany’s territories in Pacific- Class C
Administered under the laws of the Mandatory countries
Mandates were supervised by the League’s Permanent Mandate Commission and
the mandatories were expected to submit a report to the Commission with
regards to the progress in the Mandates. The Commission could not exert
control over Mandatory nations.

Togoland and German Kamerun (Cameroon) - France.

Rwanda and Urundi - Belgium
Germany’s South-West Africa- South Africa
Germany’s East Africa- United Kingdom
Germany’s Pacific North territories - Japan

5) The International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation (ICIC) was established

to examine key international scientific and cultural issues set up in 1922.
Advisory body to the assembly and the Council. the role of cultural and scientific
cooperation in political life was legitimized which led to the emergence of such
well-known concepts as 'cultural peace' and 'soft power' for political gain.

6) Economic and Financial Organisation- Economic, Financial, Fiscal, Statistical Committees-

To deal with post war monetary problems (1920)
7) Organisation for Communication and Transit in 1921
8) Advisory Committee on the Traffic in Opium and other Dangerous Drugs(1920)
9) Permanent Central Opium Board (1928)
10) Advisory Committee on the Traffic in Women and Children (1921)
11) Disarmament Commission(1920)- Established by the Article 8 of the covenant

Many of these organizations have been renewed or even restructured under the UN such
as UNESCO, UNICEF.

Organizations related to the League:-

These 2 organizations are independent of the League but are funded by the League itself
where its budget is approved by the Assembly.
1) International Labour Organization-
Established at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919-20.
To frame and supervise the application of international rules concerning labor
conditions.
The ILO was responsible for developing and monitoring international standards for
working conditions. The need for these was reinforced by the rapid spread of
Bolshevism after the First World War, so states had an interest in taking work protection
measures that would help the integration of labor into the particular political and social
system. In addition, the new organization became responsible for enforcing the labor
protection provisions set out in the peace treaties.

3 organs- The Governing Body, the Conference and the International Labour Office
Tripartite arrangement- Government, employers, employees
The first Convention adopted by the ILO in 1919 limited the hours of work in industrial
undertakings.
The organization has successfully regulated issues such as working time, the protection
of women and child workers, the restriction of work to a minimum age and the
management of unemployment issues.

Eleven Labor Conferences have been held, from which a large body of labor legislation has
emanated. Some of the twenty-six labor conventions have been generally ratified. The
International Labor Office has become in eight years an indispensable agency for the
independent investigation of industrial problems of interest to a more general public than
employers and workers. Activities have continued since then
Became the First specialized agency of UN of 1946
The International Labour Organisation was set up to improve workers´ rights and working conditions
across the world. Its main achievement was to limit child labour in some countries.

The Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ)

Established by the League by 1921. Pronounce judgements in dispute between members

countries or give advisory opinions.The PCIJ delivered 32 judgments and 27 advisory
opinions during its existence. The court officially ceased to exist in 1946

● took half a million Prisoners of war home

● The end of world war one divided the Ottoman Empire amongst the Allies and
the city of Smyrna was given to Greece.Since Greece wanted to expand its
territory and thus it sent its troops in the city from where the Greco-Turkish War
began. The brutal killings and ethnic violence by the Greek soldiers and the
Turkish revolutionary forces made the people flee from the city out of fear.
Observing the fueled conflict the League of Nations set up many humanitarian
relief camps and fed Turkish refugees.

● attacked slave traders and drug sellers- After more than ten years of work, 26 League
nations signed an international convention to combat the drugs trade - a law that is still in
 force. 1931 Convention for Limiting the Manufacture and Regulating the
Distribution of Narcotic Drugs.

● measures against leprosy and malaria, yellow fever.

● The League sent economics experts to help Austria when its government went
bankrupt.Stabilization of the currencies of Austria and Hungary in the 1920s. The League
helped raise loans to save Austria from bankruptcy.
● The League Secretariat also helped revive the world economy, by arranging world
conferences on tariffs and trade agreements.
● The League approved the Slavery convention - altogether, the League freed 200,000 slaves.
● Its humanitarian work with refugees and prisoners of war was also a significant achievement.
The League helped return 400 000 prisoners of war to their own countries and found homes
for countless refugees.

● Successful running of Danzig and Saar.-

Saar was part of Germany but after World War 1 , the Treaty of Versailles placed Saar under
the administration of the League of Nations from 1920-35. The territory was administered by
the Governing Commission appointed by the Council of the League till 1935 after which it
reintegrated with Germany on the vote taken in a Plebiscite.

Danzig was also a part of Germany but, Unlike Saar, Danzig was declared as a ‘Free City’
under the protection of the League in case of international conflict and the Constitution was
guaranteed and approved by the Council of the League of Nations. The chief duty of the
Council and its High Commissioner during the past years has been to settle a
considerable number of disputes that were bound to occur owing to the nature of the
constitutional relations between the Free City and Poland. The technical organizations of the
League of Nations or experts appointed by these bodies play an important part in this new method of
settlement, which had been applied several times before becoming a general rule. Since December 1927, no
dispute has been submitted to the Council, as all questions have been settled by direct negotiations between
the parties.One of the most valuable services which the League has rendered the Free City is the assistance
given in re-establishing its financial position. On a programme prepared by the Financial Committee, the
Danzig Government undertook a series of reforms for the purpose of stabilizing the currency. Two loans —
one issued by the Danzig municipality, the other by the Free City itself — were successfully floated under
the auspices of the League. The purpose of both was to finance public works.” It was under the protection
of the League till 1939 and it became a part of Poland after world war 2.

● In addition, it did much to deal with tropical diseases, such as yellow fever and malaria.
● Technical Co-operation (60% of the League budget was allocated to technical functions) -
 ● In 1921, the Barcelona Conference led to conventions on freedom of transit and
international waterways.
● In 1922, an intergovernmental conference convened by the first High Commissioner for
Refugees, Fridjoft Nansen, adopted the “Nansen Passport”. This document, issued for
refugees and stateless persons, –marked the beginning of the international protection of
refugees.
● In 1924, the Assembly adopted a Declaration of the Rights of the Child, the first
international recognition of children’s rights.
● The 1926 Slavery Convention was adopted in Geneva to fight against slavery and slave
trade.
● With the 1936 International Convention Concerning the Use of Broadcasting in the Cause
of Peace, the signatory states agreed to ensure that transmissions from stations within
their territory should not incite war.
● the “1925 Geneva Protocol” forbade the use of chemical and bacteriological weapons in
war. It is considered an important success, and it is still in effect today.

It was also quite successful in settling border disputes:

● 1920 Dispute between Finland and Sweden over Islands-The peace settlement at the
end of the war changed the geography of Europe and affected the borders of
many countries. Both Sweden and Finland claimed the Aaland Islands located in
the Baltic Sea. Historically, the islands were Finnish but the population wanted to
be Swedish. Finland and Sweden disagreed over who controlled the Aaland
Islands.The countries asked the League to investigate. It ruled that the islands
should remain Finnish, but as a safeguard no military personnel or arms could be
located there. Settled a dispute between Sweden and Finland over the Aaland
Islands-Sweden and Finland accepted the League's arbitration to give the Aaland Islands to
Finland. The League settled the issue peacefully, in Finland´s favor.

WAR OF THE STRAY DOG- GREECE AND BULGARIA

● Greece and Bulgaria had Disputes over Macedonia since 1904 which aggravated in WW1.
Half of Macedonia was governed by Greece. However in October, 1925 a Greek soldier was
found crossing the border to stop a stray dog from running to the other side. Looking at this
he was shot by one of the Bulgarian soldiers. Bulgaria claimed it to be a misunderstanding
but Greece refused to agree and it asked for the culprit to be punished and just
 compensation to be given to the soldier’s family. However Bulgaria refused to do so and
Greece declared war on them. With the intensification of the fight the League declared a
ceasefire and stopped a war between Greece and Bulgaria- The League ordered Greece
to withdraw its troops and it had to pay 45000 Eros as compensation for the damage
caused.

● 1920 - Albania did not have a recognized government after the war. The government feared
that countries like Italy, Yugoslavia would take control over their territory. The Paris peace
Conference a decision was made to divide Albania’s territory between Yugoslavia, Italy,
Greece which Albania opposed. The border disputes remained unsettled which led to the
invasion of the Yugoslav troops in Albania. The League of Nations dispatched a commission
which redrew Albania's border and persuaded Yugoslavia to withdraw its troops from
Albania.

● Upper Silesia -1921- Upper Silesia was a region under Germany till world war 1. After which
Disputes started to arise between Poland and Germany as to who should administer the
area. A Plebiscite was conducted in 1921 which voted in favor of Germany however Poland
planned to forcefully annex the territory. Even the Allied powers had a difference of opinion
on this. The League was asked to intervene. The territory was divided between Poland and
Germany. Germany got most land, but the part given to Poland contained the rich industrial
area of Silesia which was resented by the Germans. Temporary success.

● Mosul 1924 - A province north of Iraq rich with Oil deposits.This area has been a point of
contention between Turkey and Britain. Turkey wanted control over Mosul because the
majority of its population were the Ottomans. Britain wanted Mosul to be a part of Iraq to
extend its influence over it and Iraq wanted the area to further its diplomatic and economic
interests with Britain. The League resolved a dispute between Iraq and Turkey over Mosul -
in favor of Iraq.Turkey did not agree with this at first but later signed a tripartite agreement
with Britain and Iraq confirming Mosul's inclusion in Iraq in 1926 when Iraq promised
certain economic benefits to Turkey.

● Locarno Pact (1925)

This was a treaty signed among Germany, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Czechoslovakia,
Poland, and Italy in Locarno, a city in Switzerland on Oct 16, 1925. Also known as the
Locarno Pact, the treaty guaranteed Germany's western frontier, which the bordering states
of France, Germany, and Belgium pledged to treat as inviolable. As signatories of the
agreement, Britain and Italy committed themselves to help to repel any armed aggression
across the frontier. Not start wars. The Rhineland, a part of western Germany occupied by
the victorious Allied Powers after World War I, was permanently demilitarized and occupying
 forces withdrawn. The agreement was to come into force only when Germany was admitted
to the League of Nations with a seat on the Council, which occurred in 1926. Locarno
marked the end of the war period and the beginning of a hopeful new era of peace and
cooperation in Europe.

● Kellogg- Briand Pact(1928)

A pact signed by 61 countries who came to the decision that war is not an option or a
solution and they would ask the help of the League for resolving disputes if any.

● Settling disputes in Leticia (1934)

A conflict between Peru and Columbia over the control of the Amazon river town of Leticia
and its surrounding area. In 1932 an armed force of about two hundred Peruvian
soldiers seized Leticia and expelled the Colombian residents.The war began from
here till 1934 where the League intervened and an agreement was signed which
merged Leticia with Colombia.

● the Council also succeeded in easing the tensions between Budapest and
Belgrade after the assassination of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia- in 1934
● The Spanish Civil War was fought between 1936-1939, In 1939, the League of
Nations supervised the evacuation of foreign combatants from Spain.

Reasons for failure. Shravani

Failure
Consequences and aftermath
Forerunner of UNO

Reasons for the failure of the League of nations:

SHRAVANI

I am roll no 220
As Yashvi and Ashna mentioned, the League was established after World War 1,
with three primary objectives
1. Maintaining peace,
2. Avoiding war

3. Ensuring international coordination in terms of political, economic and

social issues.
4. Upholding the treaty if Versailles

However, despite its peacekeeping agenda the league failed to prevent another
war due to several reasons.

I will be covering the Failures of League of Nations, even though, it's one epic
failure in world history itself but never mind…

To truly grasp the nature of League of Nations, I’d like to quote Adolf Hitler,

“As long as the League of Nations constitutes only a treaty of guarantee for the
victorious nations, it is by no means worthy of its name”.
Here, he is referring to the Treaty of Versailles, next slide,

1. The Treaty of Versailles:

The treaty of Versailles imposed harsh sanctions on the previously proud
Germany, hurting the German sentiment. The treaty gave some German
territories to neighbouring countries and placed other German territories
under international supervision. In addition, Germany was stripped of its
overseas colonies, its military capabilities were severely restricted, and it
was required to pay war reparations to the Allied countries.

Basically the burden of the war was imposed on germany alone.

 2.Policy of Appeasement:

As a consequence of this treaty, Germany became very aggressive in 1930s

under the leadership of Hitler. It breached the treaty of Versailles and made
the League of Nations ineffective. The Allied Powers, Britain and France did
not want to enter into a military conflict with Germany at this time as both
had been reducing their armies and ability to wage war. This lack of will to
fight pushed both countries towards the policy of appeasement which
involved giving into the demands of an aggressive country in the hopes that
the aggression could be contained. The policy is closely linked to Neville
Chamberlain who was the British Prime Minister at the time, as he is the one
who proposed it as the best means of containing Nazi aggression and
avoiding a world war.

3. Issues with Membership

However, even after having 42 founding countries and 59 countries till 1930,
the League faced many challenges due to its membership
:
1..Limited Membership: The League's membership was not
comprehensive, as some significant nations, such as the Soviet Union
and Germany initially, were excluded. This confined its global reach
and influence to a specific set of nations.Hence, due to limited
membership, the League of Nations was highly dominated by the
Allied Powers.

1. Absence of United States: Even though the League of Nations was an

initiative of the US, the United States never joined the League of
Nations due to strong opposition from the US Senate and its policy of
isolation from European affairs. This absence of a world power with
strong military and financial capabilities weakened the League’s
influence. The US also continued to trade with countries on which
curtailed the limited power the League had.
 2. Member Withdrawals: Several essential nations, including Japan,
Germany, and Italy, withdrew from the League due to perceived
ineffectiveness or disagreements with its decisions. Their departures
further undermined the League's authority.

4. Economic Factors and the Great Depression. :

The financial hardships of the Great Depression in the 1930s contributed to the
League's decline, as nations turned inward and were less willing to commit
resources to international cooperation. Nations themselves struggled to make
their ends meet let alone contribute to the League.

5. Weak Enforcement and Lack of its own military troops:

Due to the lack of resources, the League lacked its own armed force and
depended on the victorious Allies of the First World War to provide troops
for enforcement like Britain, France, Italy, and Japan initially. So as it didn't
have its own army, it had 3 options to prevent aggression

1. Reasoning with the nations : which almost never succeeded

2. Economic sanctions : the league thought adding economic and trade
barriers would work, however it affected the economy of ALL
Members so it was not the most feasible option.
3. Asking member nations to send troops. The League depended on the
Allied Nations to send their troops, however they were rarely willing
to sent their troops.

6. Ineffectiveness in Preventing Aggression: This reliance of arms on others made

it difficult to take decisive action against aggressive nation. Eg. Japan's invasion of
Manchuria and Italy's invasion of Abyssinia (Ethiopia).

7. Power Imbalance and No consensus on decision making :

 1. Structural limitations: As the league was exclusive in its membership, with
world powers like the US out of it, the power imbalance was evident. Allies
dominated the league and this imbalance created resentment and reduced the
league's credibility.

2. Complex Decision-Making: Decision-making within the League often

required unanimous agreement, making it difficult to reach consensus on
critical issues.

8. .Lack of Enforcement Mechanisms:

1. Diplomacy over actions: The League's Covenant lacked robust

mechanisms to enforce its decisions, making it reliant on diplomacy and
moral pressure rather than concrete actions.
2. No effective repercussions: Sanctions were not applied properly since the
member states did not work together and formed separate pact with
aggressive countries, thereby making the presence of the League irrelevant.

9. World Disarmament Conference : The league also conducted a disarmament

conference.
Based on Article 8 of the League of Nations Covenant, the League pursued a
program to reduce and regulate national armaments to promote peace and security
among nations. However, the definition of disarmament was very vague. No clear
cut instructions were mentioned to reduce arms and it permitted nations to keep
"limited arms for self defence but didn't mention where does this limited draw a
line.9
.

Conclusion:
These factors combined to render the League of Nations ineffective in
maintaining international peace and preventing the outbreak of World
War II. It was eventually replaced by the United Nations in 1945, with
efforts made to address some of the League's shortcomings.
Sources:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zbg4t39/revision/3
https://www.ssag.sk/studovna/files/League-of-Nations.-Successes-and-Failures.pdf
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zbg4t39/revision/6- 115 Ashna Shetty

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/desires-of-a-modern-indian/war-of-the-stray-
dhttps://www.loc.gov/item/2021667899/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20the%20Loc

https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667899/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20the
%20Locarno,armed%20aggression%20across%20the%20frontier.

https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-
maps/leticia-dispute

https://www.gcsehistory.com/faq/aaland.html

https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-210766/

https://www.ungeneva.org/en/about/league-of-nations/organs

https://www.byarcadia.org/post/league-of-nations-101-the-league-s-specialised-
agencies

https://countrystudies.us/albania/25.htm#:~:text=Finally%2C%20in%20November
%201921%2C%20Yugoslav,that%20reaffirmed%20Albania's%201913%20borders.

https://www.britannica.com/place/Weimar-Republic/Years-of-crisis-1920-
23#ref1257269

https://www.slideshare.net/georgedumitrache399/history-igcse-revision-cards-022-
upper-silesia-dispute
https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-
maps/mosul-anglo-turkish-dispute-over#:~:text=Mosul%20became%20a%20point
%20of,pact%20was%20signed%20in%201918.

https://historyrevision.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/how-successful-was-the-league-of-
nations.pdf

https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670571#:~:text=Summary,a%20period%20of%2015%20years.

● https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,718543,00.html- Other refugees.

● https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/resources/documents/misc/5gke3d.html
● https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/greco-turkish_war_1919-1922

https://peacepalacelibrary.nl/blog/2019/treaty-versailles-centennial-
mandates#:~:text=The%20mandate%20system%20was
%20created,Germany%20and%20the%20Ottoman%20Empire.

https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/league-nations-mandates-pacific-
1919#:~:text=Article%2022%20of%20the%20League's,was%20known%20as
%20a%20mandatory.