League of Nations

S - I - D - E 

S - Stop War - They would bring together all nations to settle disputes peacefully

I - Improve peoples lives and jobs (working conditions) Injustice and poverty were main reasons of war.

D - Disarmament - Therefore making war impossible 

E - Enforce the treaty of versailles 

     or Encourage countries to co-operate especially in buisness and trade.

• Disease- 

The league worked to prevernt malaria and leprosy 

• Refugees-

Millions of refugees of WW1  were rescued and returned to their homes

• Aaland Islands- 

Both Sweden and Finland wanted control of the Aaland Islands. Both willing to fight for it.

League investigated the situation and said it should go to Finland 

• Upper Silesia 

Region on the border between Germany and Poland. The industrial area was wanted by both countries

Plebisite was arranged  and the industrial area went to Germany and rural areas went to Poland

• Disarmament

Disarmament talks failed as Germany demanded as many weapons as everyone else. Hitler agreed to disarm if in 5 years all nations destoryed their arms. No one disarmed so Germany began to rearm.

• Vilna

Largest city in Lithuainia, majority of the population were polish. A polish army siezed the city. France didnt want to get on the wrong side of Poland so they didnt do anything, Britian didnt want to act alone so the league did nothing.

• The Ruhr

When Germany stopped paying reperation payments France and Belgium wanted to invade the Ruhr to get some of their money back. 

Britian didnt agree and thought that they should lower the reperations to make it easier for Germany to afford. Belgium and France ignored this and sent troops to the Ruhr to seize German industries and confiscate goods.

With so many things going wrong for each of the countries it was difficult for each country to only think about itself and not the effect it might have on others.

Some countries turned to dictatorship, they turned to foreign wars to distract people from the hardships at home. Japan, Italy and Germany all did this. 

• Britian suffered severe unemployment therefore poverty and so it wasnt able to invest in problems with the L of N any more.
• The USA were unwilling to support economic sanctions
• Japans industry completely collapsed 
• In Germany unemployment and poverty led people to elect the nazis

In september 1931, The Japanese claimed the chinese soldiers had sabotaged the Manchurian Railway in Korea which Japan controlled. Japan attacked and by February 1932 had brutually conquered Manchuria.

IN Janurary- March 1932, Japan attacked and captured the city of Shanghai. In march china appealed to the league of nations.

In April a league delegation led by Lord Lytton arrived in Manchruria to investigate what was happening. In October it declared Japan should leave. 

In February the league vote against Japan so Japan left the league.

The league couldnt agree on sanctions and Britian and France were not going to send an army. Not only did the Japanese stay in manchuria but they also invaded the whole of china. 

Italian troops decided they wanted Abyssinia so they provoked a clash at Wal Wal.

The italian dictator Mussolini wanted a glourious victory. Shortly after the italian invasion begins. 

Abyssinia appealed to the league.

Britian and France dont want to send an army. They also didnt want to get onto the bad side of Mussolini as they felt if the sanctions were too high he would join forces with Hitler.

They placed low sanctions on Italy. For 1935 they did nothing and then spent 2 months deciding whether to include oil and fuel. 

The league produced the Hoare Laval pact, the plan was to let Italy have most of Abyssinia. 

This was illegal as not all members of the league had agreed on this, only Britian and France. The public got very angry. No one was willing to risk their army, but the sanctions placed on Italy were too small.

Italy withdrew from the league and took Abyssinia.