League Of Nations

League of Nations (ch. 3)
- Headquarter in Switzerland. Created in 1920, the same day the treaty of Versailles came into operation. It dissolved in 1946. Main aims were to settle international disputes before they gout of hand so to prevent war again.
- Wilson supporter of the idea of an international organization of peace. League was the result of these suggestions and of the war.
Two mainaimes: 1) Collective security: if one state attacked another state of the league, they would act together either by economic or military sanctions; 2) International co-operation: solve economic and social problems.
- 42 members and the 55 by 1926 when G was admitted.

It had 5 main organs:
1. The General Assembley: contain representatives of all members states, met annually, decisionsunanimous.
2. The counsil: deal with specific disputes, decisions unanimous.
3. The permanent Court of International Justice: dealt legal disputes as opposed to political ones.
4. The secretariat: paperwork
5. Commissions and committees: deal with specific problems (child welfare, drugs, labour, health...)

Valuable results achieved:
- Refugee organization: gave food, help, etc...
-International Labour organization
- Mandates commission: supervises governments of territories taken from G and Turkey.
- Disarmament commission: made no progress on convincing of this.

Why did league fail to preserve Peace?
1) it was too closely linked to treaty of Versailles: It created benefit to victorious powers (also Italy disappointed with its promised territory)
2) Rejected by USA: also theTreaty of Versailles, so League was depraved of powerful member.
3) Other important powers were not involved: G not allowed until 1926. Ussr only in 1934 when G left. So league deprived of 3 main powers on the first years.
4) Conference of ambassadors in Paris was an embarrassment: gathering the leading ambassadors was only until League was functioning, but it went on and sometimes tookprecedence over League.
5) Serious weakness in covenant (agreement)
6) It was very much a French and British affair: continued absence of USSR and USA, and hostility of Italy made it.
7) World economic crisis that begun in 1929: great depression, unemployment which caused right-wing governments to come into power (Japan, G, Mussolini refused to keep on the rules and invaded other territories likeJapan to Manchuria(China))
8) Failure of world disarmament conference 1932/3.: G wanted equality of armaments with F and rejected. Hitler withdrew G from League as an excuse.
9) Italian invasion of Abyssinia: Mussolini near Hitler also annoyed with the league because of sanctions and no territory gained.
After 1935 the league was never taken seriously again. G defied it. B and F not prepared tosupport it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

International relations 1919 – 1933 (ch. 4)

1933 Hitler came to power. So now little chance of maintaining world peace.
Hitler´s intentions 3 phases:
A - 1919 / 23:
1) 1919 / 23: Turkey and Italy dissatisfiedwith their treatment.
2) Paying reparations caused strained relations between B and F because of their point of view towards G recovery.
3) France failed at an attempt to reconcile with G. 1923 France invaded an important industrial G region (Ruhr) to gain in goods what G did not want to pay.
4) USA remained politically isolated insisting on European full payments of debts.
5) Russia undercommunist leader was viewed with suspicion by western countries.
6) New countries as a result of war had problems and were divided among themselves (Poland, Austria , Hungary, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia).
B – 1924 / 29:
Dawes plan: Mc Donald in B came to power and was keen to improve relations. This plan was the result with American help for G and its reparations.
Locarno treaties: guaranteed...