League of Nations & International Peace

League's Aims

The League had two main aims:

1. To maintain peace- using three different methods

• Disarmament involved reducing the number of weapons that each country had
• Arbitration meant helping countries to talk about their disputes rather than fight
• Collective security meant that if one country attacked another, League members would act together to control the aggressor

2. To encourage cooperation- and help solve economic and social problems

Formation of the League

The League was made up of various parts

All members of the League followed a Covenant (agreement) of 26 Articles

Articles 1 to 7 set up the structure of the League

The Assembly

• met once a year
• every country in the League had one vote at the Assembly
• decisions could only be made if everyone agreed

The Council

• met at least once a year
• had permanent members (Britain, France, Italy, Japan and later Germany) and temporary members
• all members had a vote but permanent members could veto Council decisions

The Secretariat 

• carried out the work of the League, like a civil service

The International Labour Organisation 

• discussed and made suggestions to improve working conditions 
• made up of government officials, employers and workers from different countries

The Permanent Court of Justice

• made up of fifteen judges from different member countries
  
• were asked to  settle  international disputes 
• everyone hoped this would avoid another major war

42 countries joined the League at the start. In the 1930s, about 60 countries were members. This made the League seem strong

The League had a range of agencies and commissions, which worked on specific humanitarian issues. These included a health organisation, a commission for refugees, and a commission for women's rights.

Weaknesses of the League

Work of the League in the 1920s

The League made a valuable contribution to social issues

The League used its special agencies and commissions to achieve its aim of encouraging cooperation in solving economic and social problems. These bodies successfully improved the lives of many Europeans in the 1920s

• One commission helped refugees  after WW1. 
  • Millions of people had fled their homes during the fighting and the League helped to resettle them
  • They sent over 500,000 prisoners of war back home
• The slavery commission 
  • It didn't wipe out slavery altogether
  • But it had success in many countries
  • e.g. it freed 200,000 slaves in places like Burma and Sierra Leone
• The health organisation
  • worked to combat the spread of serious diseases 
  • e.g. leprosy, malaria and plague
• The International Labour Organisation
  • Had lots of success
  • e.g. persuading member countries to introduce minimum wages and limits on weekly working hours

The League resolved several disputes over territorial claims  without fighting 

These successes gave it a good reputation

• Upper Silesia
  
  • a region with valuable industry 
  • a referendum was held for citizens to choose whether to be ruled by Poland or Germany
  • the results were too close to be decisive
  • in 1921, the League suggested dividing the areabetween the…