The League Of Nations

International organization founded in 1919 to promote world peace but greatly weakened by the refusal of the United States to join. It proved ineffectual in stopping aggression by Italy, Japan, and Germany in the 1930s.

Peace treaty that ended World War 1

Part of the Treaty of Versailles: it was supposed to promote independence but really took Germany's colonies and gave them to the Allies

The Leagues three ways of stopping an aggressive country: verbal, economic, military

USA, Germany, Russia

Great Britain, France

Powerful nations didn't join, lack of a

Woodrow Wilson in The Treaty of Versailles.

The League didn't have an army.

American citizens were recent immigrants and they didn't want America to have any part in The Treaty of Versailles. They were appalled at the carnage of WW1 and were worried about the economic cost of joining the League. Also many other Americans opposed the League because they were anti-British or anti-French.

The way it was organised made it very slow to make decisions.

Led to world economic crisis + some countries became aggresive + tried to build up empires.

each time the League failed - it was more likely to be ignored in the future.

they undermined it by ignoring its decisions and going behind its back.

Italy - Mussolini Germany - Hitler Japan - Hiroleite

WAS DUMB

America is a very powerful, rich nation who could end up undermining everything.

They were not allowed as a punishment for causing WW1.

not allowed to join the League as they are communists (+ they didn't want to)

-Discourage aggression from any nation. -Encourage nations to disarm. -Encourage co-operation, especially in business and trade. -Improve living and working conditions around World.

Geneva

Council - Assembly - Secretariat - Permanent Court of International Justice - Commissions and agencies (Mandates Commissions - Minorities Commission -The Refugees Commitee - ILO ect)

Aaland islands 1921, Upper Silesia 1921, Bulgaria 1925

Vilna 1920, Corfu 1923, Manchuria 1931, Abyssinia 1935

In October 1925 representatives of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Poland and Czehoslovakia met in locarno in Switzerland.

France felt guaranteed border security and Germany showed more goodwill towards France.

1926

1928

States agreed to keep their armies for 'self defense'

Some big countries were getting agressive (Big Bullies) this made all the other countries nervous. So everyone refused to disarm because they didn't trust each other.