The World Post

World War 1
FAILURE OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS
2 Main aims of the League of Nations
10 January 1920

1. to maintain peace through Collective Security

2. to encourage international cooperation in order to
solve economic and social problems
Main Organs
The General Assembly
The Council (Br, Fr, Italy and Japan increased to 9 by 1926)
The Permanent Court of International Justice
Secretariat
Commission and Committees
42 members in the beginning and 55 by 1926 when Germany was admitted
Achievements of the League

International Labour Organisation (Persuaded Governments to) (Albert Thomas)

Fix working days and weeks
Specify adequate minimum wages
Introduce sickness and unemployment wages
Introduce old age pensions
Refugee Organisation
Solved the problem of thousands of prisoners of War marooned in Russia at the
end of the war where about half a million returned home
After 1933 valuable help was given to thousands of people fleeing from Nazi
persecution in Germany
Health Organisation and Mandates
Commission
It did good work in investigating the causes of epidemics and it was specially
successful in combating typhus epidemic in Russia which at one time seemed
likely to spread across Europe
The Mandates Commission supervised the government of the territories taken
from Germany and Turkey while yet another commission was administering
Saar. It did this efficiently and concluded by organizing the 1935 plebiscite
where majority voted for the Saar to be returned to Germany
Political Disputes Resolved
•In a quarrel between Finland and Sweden over Aaland islands, the verdict went in favour of
Finland(1920)
•Over the rival claims of Germany and Poland over upper Silesia, the league decided that it should
be divided between the two.
•When Greeks invaded Bulgaria, after some shooting incidents on the frontiers , the League
swiftly intervened , Greek troops were withdrawn and damages paid to Bulgaria
•When Turkey claimed the province of Mosul, a part of British mandated territory of Iraq, the
League decided in favour of Iraq.
•In South America disputes were settled between Peru and Columbia and between Bolivia and
Paraguay
 Failure of the League of Nations
1. It was too closely related to the Versailles Treaty

2. It was rejected by the USA

3. Other important powers were not involved (Germany 1926, USSR in 1934)

4. Conference of Ambassadors in Paris was an embarrassment

•Lithuania vs Poland on the award of Vilna

•The Corfu Incident between Greece and Albania

5. There were serious weaknesses in the Covenant

•It was difficult to get unanimous decisions

•League had no military of its own

•1923 a resolution was passed that each member would decide for itself whether to fight the crisis

•Idea of collective security failed because a unanimous vote was needed to change the covenant which could not be achieved.
 Failure of the League of Nations
6. It was very much a French British affair

7. World Economic crisis began in 1929

8. Failure of Collective Security

• The Japanese invasion of Manchuria (1931)

• The failure of World disarmament Conference (1932-33)

• The Italian invasion of Abyssinia (1935)

Effects of the Failure of the LoN
•Mussolini was annoyed by the sanctions and began to draw closer to Germany
•Small states lost faith in the League
•Hitler was encouraged to flout the Versailles treaty
•Post 1935, League was never taken seriously