League of Nations: Members, Agencies, Crises, and Outcomes

Membership of the League of Nations

Key members included:

• France (1919-1945)
• Britain (1919-1945)
• Italy (1919-1937)
• Japan (1919-1933)
• Germany (1926-1933)
• USSR (1934-1939)

The USA never joined. The League had 42 members when it was first established. Key countries were not members (Germany and Austria, which were not initially invited to join), and the USSR was viewed with suspicion due to communism. In the USA, while President Woodrow Wilson wanted to join the League of Nations, many Americans opposed the idea.

The main members were France and Britain. Both countries were determined to avoid war, almost at any cost. Britain saw the League as a talking shop (where discussion dominated, but action was lacking). France wanted the League to enforce the terms of the peace treaties. Britain thought Germany was treated too harshly, while France felt the Treaty of Versailles had not gone far enough.

Agencies of the League of Nations

• The Mandates Commission: Supervised territories taken from Germany and Turkey after WWI, ensuring that Britain and France acted in the interests of the people of those territories, not in their own interests.
• The Refugees Committee: Helped to return refugees to their original homes after the end of World War I.
• The Slavery Commission: Worked to abolish slavery around the world.
• The Health Committee: Attempted to deal with the problem of dangerous diseases and to educate people about health and sanitation.
• The International Labour Organisation (ILO): Brought together employers, governments, and worker representatives once a year.

The Great Depression

The collapse of the American stock market in 1929 led to:

1. The collapse of international trade.
2. The closure of banks, factories, and businesses.
3. 25 million people out of work worldwide.
4. Economic rivalry instead of co-operation (The USA raised customs duties on foreign imports, meaning countries trading with America had to pay an extra tax. Britain also introduced higher duties).
5. Mass unemployment and poverty.

The Manchurian Crisis (1931-1933)

The first major failure of the League was the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. Japan had been badly hit by the Depression. Its industrial strength depended on exports, which fell by 50% between 1929 and 1931. Without exports, Japan could not afford to buy the imports it needed. The country was also overcrowded. Military leaders believed that Japan should expand to gain more living space and raw materials.

Japan chose Manchuria for the following reasons:

1. It belonged to China, which was very weak at this time, split by civil war between nationalists and communists.
2. Japan argued that Manchuria would act as a buffer against the USSR and communism.
3. Japan already claimed special interests in Manchuria, running the South Manchuria Railway and controlling some cities along its route.

The Abyssinian Crisis

This was the second major crisis in the 1930s. In 1935, Italy invaded Abyssinia. Once again, the League failed to stop aggression. Italy invaded for several reasons:

1. Italy had suffered from the Great Depression, and unemployment rose. Mussolini turned to foreign conquests to distract the Italian people.
2. Italy already had an empire in Northeast Africa, with colonies of Eritrea and Italian Somaliland bordering Abyssinia.
3. The Italians had tried to take Abyssinia in 1896 but were defeated at the Battle of Adowa. This was a chance for revenge.
4. Mussolini was jealous of Hitler's rearmament in Germany and wanted to show he was still the main dictator in Europe.

Successes of the League of Nations

1. The Aaland Islands, 1920: These islands belonged to Finland but were claimed by Sweden. The two countries referred their dispute to the League, which decided that Finland should keep the islands, but the islanders' Swedish way of life should be protected. Both countries accepted the decision.
2. Drugs Committee: Persuaded states to tighten up customs and postal controls and to educate people about the dangers of drugs. It investigated the drug trade and tried to control poppy growing, the main source of the drug opium.

Failures of the League of Nations

1. Corfu, 1923: In August 1923, five Italian surveyors working for the League of Nations, mapping the border between Greece and Albania, were killed on the Greek side. Mussolini demanded compensation and then conquered Corfu. The major League powers did not want to upset Mussolini, so they put pressure on the Greeks. This was a disaster for the League, which had failed against a major power.