The League of Nations has often been described by Historians and other social commentators as a failure of diplomacy. This set of slides will (hopefully) provide a balanced view of the League and what it hoped to achieve.

1.  
Brilliant Idea or Failed Vision

2.  By the end of the lesson, you would be able to :
o Identify and explain the ideas behind the League of Nations
o Appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of the League.
o Analyse its success stories and its failures

3.  World War 1 convinced many leaders that there was a
need for a better system to maintain peace in the future.
 Before WWI = Balance of Power through secret treaties .
Peace based on fear of conflict through treaty
obligations.
 After WW1 = new system of maintaining peace –
“collective security”
o (Countries could agree not to attack each other and would also
defend each other in the event of an attack)

4. o Provide a way of settling international disputes by not
waging war.
o Reduce and control armaments
o Establish a system of International Law
o Encourage social and economic cooperation in the
world
o Ensure International treaties were registered &
contents made known
o Promote open and just relations between nations.
 P,R,E,E,P

5.  The League was involved in the following areas:
o Mandates
• Supervise Germany‟s former colonies.
• Allied powers governed these territories on behalf of the League
• Until they could be given self-government.
o Collective Security
• Meant that if one state attacked another – all members would act
collectively to stop the aggressor
• Instead of resorting to military alliances or war, the League of
Nations would allow for open discussion

6. League of
Nations

7.  Strength 1: Helped solve International labour disputes
and improved labour conditions.
 Strength 2: Set up commissions to improve hygiene and
combat diseases
o Diseases like leprosy reduced
o Living and working conditions improved

8.  Strength 3: Human rights Commission
o helped refugees &
o abolished slavery.
 Strength 4: Collective security - settled disputes bet.
nations:
o (1921) The Aaland Islands – resolved a dispute between Sweden
and Finland. Both countries accepted the decision of the League.
o (1923) Albania – The League successfully made Yugoslavia
withdraw from Albania when it tried to take over Albania.

9.  W1: League did not represent all the countries of the
world
o USA and Russia not members. US because of Isolationism and
Russia because it was a Communist state.
o Countries could easily join and leave the league. Leave when the
League objected to their actions.
o Countries not bound to accept the decisions of the League
 W2: Attitudes towards the league
o Countries that signed the Treaty of Versailles had to accept the
League. Treaty unpopular so League grew unpopular.
o Public opinion was against the League. Britain and France

10.  W3: Lack of power
o Lacked peace-keeping force to counter attacks against member states.
o Worsened with the rise of Communist Russia and Nazi Germany
o Imposing economic sanctions harmful to members‟ own economy.
o Lost the respect of member states as it could not enforce decisions.
 W4: White Supremacy
o League associated with White domination and Imperialism.
o E.g. Japan‟s seat in the Council had little impact on the decisions that
were made in the league
o League could not claim to represent the nations of the world as some
races were not considered as equal.

11.  W5: Failed to prevent military conflict
o It failed to prevent a war between Greece and Turkey.
o In 1931, Japan invaded China and Seized Manchuria. When the
League raised its protest Japan refused to comply instead
withdrew from the League.
o In 1935 Mussolini, invaded Abyssinia and annexed it in 1936.
o The aggressive activities of Hitler went on unchecked - annexed
Austria, Czechoslovakia and Memel.
o The league was a helpless observer to all these acts - The
League was too weak an organ to solve international peace.

12.  The League lacked authority
o No military power to coerce aggressor nations
o No economic power to enforce sanctions effectively
• Trade sanctions not be enforced – members trading with the
aggressor outside the League.
• States more interested in solving their own economic problems.
• Unwilling to impose trade sanctions as it would harm their
economies
o Without military and economic power, League could only use
moral persuasion against armed aggression. This proved

13.  „Big Powers‟ interests dominated League:
o These Powers wanted to advance their own interest at the
expense of others. This made Germany call it a „Victor‟s club‟.
o Selfish motives prevailed and there was no sincerity among the
members. They talked highly but acted meanly.
o Eventually lead to the breakdown in trust that affected collective
security.

14.  The need for unanimity:
o Actions taken required unanimity i.e. all permanent members to
agree.
o If dispute - between permanent members, either one could not
support the decision – action could not be carried out.
o Some decisions required the support of all members – virtually
impossible to come to a unanimous decision.

15.  Absence of the US
o League was dealt with a serious blow when USA did not join –
isolationism.
o Absence of US meant that league was deprived of a powerful
member.
o Its presence would have been a great psychological and
financial benefit for Europe.
o Many countries felt that if the US did not take the League
seriously, there was no point that they should.

16.  What were the objectives of the League of Nations
 What is Collective Security?
 Explain (using F,E,E,L) one of the weaknesses of the
League