To what extent was the LON a success?

Successes

• Aaland Islands, 1921, dispute between Finland and Sweden League awards to Finland, Sweden accepts.
• Austria and Hungary economic crisis, 1922 - 23, solved by a team of the League Ambassadors.
• Greece and Bulgaria, 1925, Greece invade Bulgaria, but arfter League pressure they withdraw.

Failures

• Not many obvious failures;should be noted that success often involved smaller Nations.
• Italy and Corfu, 1923, the League faced Italy but failed to resolve the issue.
• Poland to Vilna 1920, Poland seizes Vilna from Lithuania, and in 1923, it becomes Polish.

• 14th point of the 14 points
• Police the world (Intent)
• Stop aggression (Stop wars using non agressive tactics)
• Encourage cooporation ( Permanent Court of International Justice)
• Disarmament (Believed that the war was coming to a close)
• Improving living and working conditions (Refugees World health org)
• Established in 1920
• 42 members (60 by 1930's)
• 26 Rules
• Every member had one vote in the assembly
• Only some could vote on the council
• LON could warn countries then place trade sanctions (after send troops in)
• Solved boarder disputes

Resolved legal issues and bank balances.

• The USA did not join ( a major power with a large military)
• B and F were in charge neither was strong after war had weakend and therfore not strong enough to do the job properly.
• Economic and MIlitery sanctions could only work if a powerful nation was applying them. Most countries were to busy to apply them.
• Germany and communist Russia were not allowed to be members when the league first formed.
• League had no army of its own and most members did not want to comit trips to war.
• Some countries like Italy were prepared to ignore the league.
• Organisation was a disaster everyone had to agree before anything was done. Court of Justice had no powers on which to act.  

• The depression caused wide spread poverty.
• People were expected to support more right winged extreme leaders hoping they provide a strong goverment.
• In 1933 the Nazis elected in Germany defied the LON and left by overturning the Treaty of Versailles.
• Depression meant countries like B and Fr were less willing to help the LON by resolving international conflicts. They wanted to concentrate on demestic problems like unemployment.
• Factor in some international conflicts. ie Manchuria

Manchuria

• Japan suffered in Depression
• When Japan rebuilt, it build military wise.  This aggression led to Japan wanting more from the League.
• The Japanese pretended to give independence, however put a weak leader called Puyi who was easy to control.
• THe LON sent Lord Lytton to assess the situation. He said that the Japanese are wrong but the LON did not do anything about it.
• Japan refused to accept Lord L report and withdrew from the League in 1933.
• In 1933 the Japanese invade Chinese Provence.
• Hitler and Mussolini saw weakness in the League and in 1936 Japan signed a treaty with Germany and in 1937 started invading China.  LON did nothing to stop this.

Abyssinia

• Mussolini invaded Abyssinia in 1935.  He sent troups with heavy artiliary.
• Abyssinian leader appealed directly to LON for help. 
• LON imposed economic sanctions but delayed banning oil exports in case the USA did not support them.
• LON did not close the Suez Canal to Italian ships (so supplies got through despite the sanctions)
• May 1936 Italy had conquered all of Abyssinia.

Revealed that they were weak, that the Facists could get what whey wanted, that you can start a war and the LON would not do anything about it.