© Boardworks Ltd 2006 1 of 32 © Boardworks Ltd 2006 1 of 32 International Relations 1900–1939...

© Boardworks Ltd 20061 of 32 © Boardworks Ltd 20061 of 32

International Relations 1900–1939

How the League Dealt with International Conflicts

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Learning objectives

What we will learn in this presentation:


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How the League was challenged in the 1920s and the successes it achieved.

How the Great Depression affected the League.

Why the League failed over Manchuria and Abyssinia.


League of Nations – reminder activity


Successes of the League

During the 1920s, the League of Nations appeared to make some progress towards preventing future wars.

In the Washington Naval Agreement of 1922, Britain, France, the USA and Japan agreed to limit the size of their navies.

In 1925, Germany signed the Treaty of Locarno in which it agreed to accept its western boundaries, as set by the Treaty of Versailles, and also, the demilitarization of the Rhineland.

In return, Germany was allowed to join the League of Nations and inspections of the German army ceased.



President Coolidge signing the pact for

the USA.

Do you think this promise would prevent a country going to war?

The League also encouraged the signing of the Kellogg-Briand Pact in 1928.

In this agreement, 15 major nations (including Germany) promised not to use “war as an instrument of national policy,” and to pursue their goals through peaceful means.

By 1933, 60 nations had made this promise.



It looked promising for the League, but did these pacts really mean anything?

Nations happily signed up to the principles of peace and cooperation, but there was nothing to stop them simply breaking their promises when they were inconvenient.

After the First World War, most nations wanted to reduce expenditure on defence anyway.

The League would face stiffer tests in the areas of international disputes and border conflicts.


Early challenges to the League – the 1920s


Humanitarian successes

The League of Nations also did a lot of useful humanitarian work in the 1920s.

The League of Nations was the first to suggest that the world community should take collective action to

tackle this sort of problem.

droughts in Africa

leprosy

child slave labour

drugs smuggling

refugees.

Commissions dealt with many issues, including:


The 1920s – success or failure?


The depression and the League

In 1929, the collapse of the American stock market caused an economic depression (often called the Great Depression).

The depression was not just felt in America – it affected the whole world.

The USA demanded repayment of the money it had loaned to Germany and other countries. This caused great economic hardship and damaged world trade.

The slump in world trade was worsened by the USA putting tariffs (taxes) on imported goods.



The depression had a huge social and economic impact on the major world powers.

The drop in trade led to massive unemployment and terrible hardship for ordinary people all over the world.

The volume of international trade fell by 70% as countries brought in import tariffs – by taxing imports, countries sought to prevent cheaper foreign goods undercutting their domestic industries.



How the depressionaffected the League

There was less international cooperation. The USA and other nations looked to take

care of themselves instead of worrying about world peace

and humanitarian issues.

Desperate people suffering terrible economic

hardship increasingly turned to leaders offering radical solutions. This led to the rise of militaristic fascist governments.

Britain and France no longer wished to sort out

international disputes that would cost them

money and could further damage their trade.




The Manchurian Crisis 1931

The Japanese economy relied on exporting goods to America. This meant that the depression hit Japan very hard.

Economic hardship led to the Japanese civilian government becoming unpopular and the military increasing its power.

The army decided that the best way for Japan to escape the effects of the depression was to invade Manchuria (part of China).

Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931. Japan had conquered Korea in 1905.


The Manchurian Crisis 1931


The Manchurian Crisis: The spark


The League’s reaction to the Manchurian Crisis

The League told Japan to leave Manchuria but they refused.

A commission under Lord Lytton was sent to investigate the issue.

The commission finally reported a year after the invasion, concluding that Japan was in the wrong and should leave Manchuria.

Japan’s response was to withdraw from the League.

Four years later Japan invaded the rest of China.

Lord Lytton

Chinese civilian casualties


The League’s reaction to the Manchurian Crisis

Why did the League not take action against Japan?

The main reason was that the great powers were not prepared to commit troops and ships to punishing Japan.

The only two nations with the capacity to act were Britain and the USA.

The British economy was in dire straits.

The British navy was on the verge of mutiny after the government was forced to cut wages due to the depression.

The USA was still reeling from

the depression. President Hoover argued that imposing sanctions on Japan would be to risk war for no real gain.


Source analysis

How does this cartoon reflect how the League dealt with the Manchurian Crisis?


The Abyssinian Crisis 1935

To distract the Italian people from economic problems and to satisfy Italian imperial desires, the Italian leader, Mussolini, suddenly invaded Abyssinia (modern Ethiopia) in October 1935.

Italy was also suffering due to the depression.



The invasion was very brutal and initiated without declaration of war.

Although the Abyssinian army was larger, they were armed with out-of-date rifles, spears and bows. They were no match for the Italian machine guns, artillery and planes.

The Italians also used large quantities of mustard gas against Abyssinian troops, civilians and even the Red Cross. This was a clear violation of the Geneva Protocol which Italy had signed in 1925.

The Abyssinian army

The Italian army





Italy and Abyssinia were both members of the League of Nations.

The League agreed that Italy was in the wrong, but it took months to make a decision about what to do next.

In the end they punished Italy with economic sanctions.

However, Italy could continue to trade with countries like America that were not in the League.

Mussolini


Mussolini


Crucially, they did not include oil in the list of embargoed goods. The

League knew if their members stopped selling oil to Italy, we’d just get it from the USA instead.

How effectively did the League deal with the Abyssinian Crisis?

Were the great powers really interested in punishing Italy?

Britain continued to let Italian ships use the Suez Canal to reach Abyssinia.



How did the Hoare-Laval Plan undermine the League?

It is important to consider the Abyssinian Crisis in context. It was part of a wider situation that led to the failure of the League.

Whilst this crisis was being played out, Hitler sent German troops into the Rhineland, breaking the Treaty of Versailles.

Desperate to get out of the Abyssinian Crisis without either giving in or going to war, Britain and France privately talked to Italy. They agreed to let Italy have two-thirds of Abyssinia (under what was called the Hoare-Laval Plan) in exchange for support against Hitler’s actions!

What does it reveal about British and French attitudes?


Hoare-Laval Plan

The plan was leaked to the newspapers. Hoare had been condemning Italian actions while secretly negotiating to give Abyssinia to Italy. He was forced to resign.

The Hoare-Laval Plan in effect ended the power of the League.

Italy had shown that the League’s principal powers had no desire to stop an aggressor.

At the same time, France and Britain managed to annoy Mussolini to the point where he opened diplomatic talks with Germany.

France’s alliance with Italy, against Germany, was over.

Sir Hoare


Your application to the Foreign Office


Source analysis

What is this cartoon trying to say about the attitude of

Britain and France and the effectiveness of the League?

“We don’t want you to fight but, by jingo if you do, we shall probably issue a joint memorandum suggesting a mild disapproval of you.”

Text below the cartoon reads:

The Awful Warning


Anagrams


Exam question

1. Describe how the events following the 1935 Italian invasion of Abyssinia led to Italy withdrawing from the League of Nations in 1937.

[6]

This is a straightforward select and explain question.

To get a grade C in this question you need to select one point and explain it in detail.

To get a B or an A, you need to explain at least two points in detail.


Exam question

1. Describe how the events following the 1935 Italian invasion of Abyssinia led to Italy withdrawing from the League of Nations in 1937.

[6]

You can look at:

details of the attack itself

the League’s response

the Hoare-Laval Plan

the attitudes of the great powers to Mussolini and the crisis

Mussolini’s relationship with Hitler.


Writing frame

Remember, to get a grade A or B (5 to 6 marks) youneed to look at a minimum of two aspects in this way. You can use these sentence starters as a

guide for all the aspects you look at.

The Italian invasion of Abyssinia led to…

This was when…

This is important because…

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