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HISTORY IGCSE CONTENT - 20TH CENTURY OPTION - LEAGUE OF NATIONS: WEAKNESSES

The League of Nations faced weaknesses due to a lack of key member states like the US and Soviet Russia. It also struggled with taking decisive action against aggressors because it required unanimous decisions and lacked its own military forces. While the concept of collective security through escalating sanctions was promising, the League was often not in a position to follow through due to these structural limitations and competing priorities for member states like Britain and France.

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CONTENT LEAGUE OF NATIONS LEAGUE OF NATIONS WEAKNESSES/FAILURE 2
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D MEMBERSHIP
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D EFFECTIVENESS The Assembly and the Council would have been more effective in their operations and influence if they had represented all the major countries of the world. This was president Wilson’s intention when he called for a general assembly of nations, but the League of Nations was never in this position.
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D USA Despite the fact that president Wilson was one of the “parents” of TOV and LON, America refused to join. This was because a majority in the American Senate thought that the League would drag their country into future wars and disputes. America’s absence was a blow to the prospects of LON as the new organisation was deprived of the world’s most powerful, influential and wealthy country. This affected directly the ability of LON to take action against aggressive countries and also reduce the prestige of LON.
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D USA CARTOON What point is the cartoonist making about the USA in this cartoon? Discuss with your colleagues. 2 minutes.
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D USA CARTOON EXPLAINED This cartoon implies that without America the bridge would collapse. The bridge represents the League of Nations, and Uncle Sam, the personification of America is reluctant to place the keystone in the bridge to complete it. This is odd because in the Treaty of Versailles, it was Woodrow Wilson the president of America that suggested that the League of Nations as part of his fourteen points. The missing keystone demonstrates how difficult it will be for the League to function without having the United States as a member. But it was a Republican majority in Congress that blocked the USA's entry into the League, not the President. It is now known that Wilson was very, very ill during vital periods at Versailles and afterwards and probably lacked the will to win Congress around.
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D GERMANY Germany was not allowed to join LON until it had demonstrated its peaceful intentions. Many countries still did not trust Germany. This had the unfortunate effect of making the League look like a club for the victorious powers closely associated with TOV. Germany was allowed to join in 1926 and became a permanent member of the Council, but its membership was short-lived. Hitler’s first significant foreign policy actions was to take Germany out of the League in 1933.
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D GERMANY CARTOONS How far does the cartoons agree about the nature of LON? Discuss with the colleague next to you. 3 minutes.
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D SOVIET RUSSIA Soviet Russia was not invited to join the League of Nations, mainly because of the ideological reasons: it was communist and committed to the overthrow of capitalism. The Russians also didn’t want to participate because a number of the members of LON (Britain, France and Japan) assisted and helped the counter-revolution during the Russian Civil War (1918-1921). By the late 1920’s, there was more tolerance on both sides and Soviet Russia joined the League in 1934. It was expelled in December 1939 following the invasion of Finland.
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D JAPAN Japan was one of the original members of the LON but left in 1933 when it received criticism for invading Manchuria.
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D ITALY Italy was one of the original members of the League but left in 1933 when it received criticism for invading Manchuria. Both countries were weakened by the WW1, and they had to shoulder the responsibility of trying to make the LON work. Britain was concerned with trying to maintain its empire. France was primarily concerned with increasing security against Germany. LON took second place in the minds of British and French politicians.
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D BRITAIN AND FRANCE Both countries were weakened by the WW1, and they had to shoulder the responsibility of trying to make the LON work. Britain was concerned with trying to maintain its empire. France was primarily concerned with increasing security against Germany. LON took second place in the minds of British and French politicians.
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D COLLECTIVE SECURITY
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D THE CONCEPT OF COLLECTIVE SECURITY It was intended to maintain peace. There were three stages that could be followed to stop an aggressive power.
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D STAGE 1 - MORAL DISSAPROVAL Following an act of aggression the Council would meet and vote to condemn the action. The aggressive country, knowing that it had the weight of the world opinion directed against it, might drop its aggressive action.
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D STAGE 2 – ECONOMIC SANCTIONS If moral disapproval failed then the council could impose economic sanctions on the aggressor. This meant arranging a trade boycott and refusing credit.
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D STAGE 3 – MILITARY SANCTIONS If economic sanctions failed then, as a last resort, the council could impose military sanctions. This might involve sending an army to assist the victim of the aggression.
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D ARTICLE 11 OF THE LON COVENANT “Any war or threat of war, whether immediately affecting any of the Members of the League or not, is hereby declared a matter of concern to the whole League, and the League shall take any action that may be deemed wise and effectual to safeguard the peace of nations.”
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D ACTIVITY – Q & A
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D ARTICLE 11 OF THE LON COVENANT Should any Member of the League resort to war in disregard of its covenants, it shall be deemed to have committed an act of war against all other Members of the League, which hereby undertake immediately to subject it to the severance of all trade or financial relations... It shall be the duty of the Council in such case to recommend to the several Governments concerned what effective military, naval or air force the Members of the League shall severally contribute to the armed forces to be used to protect the covenants of the League. DOES THIS SOURCE PROVE THAT THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS WAS LIKELY TO BE A POWERFUL AND EFFECTIVE ORGANISATION FOR PRESERVING WORLD PEACE?
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D UNANIMOUS DECISIONS All decisions taken by the Assembly or Council had to be unanimous. This meant that if the Assembly or Council was meeting to vote on aggressive action by a country, it would take just one negative vote, not including the negative vote of the aggressor, for the motion to fail. A majority or even an overwhelming majority was not enough. This could make it very difficult to take decisive action against a country that decided to disturb the peace.
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – LEAGUE OF NATIONS – MR. D LACK OF AN ARMY The LON didn’t have an army of its own. The LON didn’t have standing forces to call upon if it wished to impose military sanctions. The uncertainty meant that military sanctions could not be enforced.