The League of Nations in
the 1930s
Economic Depression
• 1920s = economic boom in world trade
• (US = richest nation in world)
• US business drove world economy –
everyone traded with the USA
- Remember Dawes and Young Plan
(Germany’s reparations payments)
- Most countries borrowed from American
banks
• Economic co-operation = important in
reducing international tension
• 1929 – Wall Street Crash caused a long
period of economic depression (known as
the Great Depression)
- Affected countries everywhere – most NB =
US & Eur; led to changes in politics
• End of peace and positivity of the 1920s
.
• Consequences:
- US loans dried up
- Businesses went bankrupt = unemployment
- Countries imposed tariffs (taxes) on imports
(goods coming into the country) so that
people would invest money in local goods =
negative effect on trade (because countries
weren’t trading anymore)
- Many countries started to rearm: way of
creating employment and boosting industries
- Rearmament caused other countries to
rearm (felt threatened)
- INTERNATIONAL TENSION
Effects on the USA
Effects on Italy
• USA refused to help the League with• Mussolini (Italian dictator) tried to build
overseas empire (see Abyssinian Crisis
enforcing economic sanctions on
aggressive countries (even though it 1935-1936) to distract people from
was not part of the League)
internal problems
Effects on Germany
Effects on Britain
• Affected very badly: unemployment,
• Main priority = fix its own economy
poverty, political chaos
• Not willing to sort out international • Democratic German leaders unable to
disputes
cope – Hitler elected
- Eg did not support sanctions/send • End to international peace
troops to Manchuria
• Wanted to invade neighbours and regain
land lost post-WWI
Japan’s invasion of Manchuria 1931
• Since early 1900s, Japan = growing
population, industry, strong military,
growing empire
• Depression almost bankrupted
Japan
- Main export = silk to USA
- USA imported less = meant Japan
had les money to buy food and raw
materials
• Built up an empire by invading
weaker countries to gain raw
materials
• Invaded Manchuria in 1931
REMEMBER JAPAN IS A LEADING
MEMBER OF THE LEAGUE
How did the Manchurian Crisis weaken the
League?
First invasion, 1931
• Japanese army controlled South Manchurian railway
- Built by Japanese
- Carried Japanese goods into Manchuria and transported raw materials (eg coal,
iron, timber) into Japan
• Mukden incident
- Japan claimed that Chinese troops attached the railway
- This incident was staged (put on by the Japanese – ie the China was ‘framed’)
- Used this as an excuse to invade and set up a puppet government controlled by
military
• Puppet government = controlled by Japan, even though it was in China
• China appealed to League
• Japan argued that China was in a state of chaos (partially true) and that
Japan was acting in self-defence
• LEAGUE = DIFFICULT POSITION
• Sent officials to investigate
• Presented report in 1932 (a whole year after invasion)
• Judgement = Japan had acted unlawfully – should return Manchuria to
Chinese
Second invasion 1933
• Japan ignored the League – decided to invade more of China “in selfdefence”
• League report on Manchuria approved by 42 votes to 1 (only Japan voted
against it)
• Japan left the League one month later; invaded Jehol province
League’s response
• Powerless
• Without USA (Japan’s main trading partner)= economic sanctions
would be unsuccessful
• Br more interested in keeping good relationship with Japan than
agreeing to sanctions
• Member countries couldn’t agree on whether or not to ban arms
sales to Japan
• Worried that Japan would retaliate = war
• Br and Fr refused to risk armies or navies in war with Japan
• Only countries which could help = USSR and USA (neither were
members of League)
Consequences for the League
• League gave many excuses
- Japan was a special case
- Was far away from Europe
- China was in a state of crisis
• Consequence for League’s reputation = obvious (as critics had
predicted)
- Powerless when faced with a strong nation with an aggressive foreign
policy (attitude/actions towards other countries)
- Japan had got away with clear aggression
- Gave hope to Eur’s two other dictators (Mussolini in Italy and Hitler in
Germanyt)
The box next to the man on the right hand side reads “Facesaving outfit”
Source
analysis p.
41 in pairs
8 minutes
(written)
Why did disarmament fail in the 1930s?
• The failure of disarmament in 1920s – not too concerning (era of relative
peace and stability)
• 1930s – more pressure on League to do something about disarmament
- Threat of Germany’s resentment of being the only country forced to disarm
post-WWI
• Many countries were spending more on arms production in 1930s than
pre-WWI (remember link to economic recovery post-Depression)
Disarmament Conference 1932
• Post-Manchuria: clear urgency to sort
out disarmament
• Disarmament Conference
agreements:
- Ban bombing of civilian targets
- Limit size of artillery
- Limit tonnage of tanks
- Ban chemical warfare
• BUT no clarity = how it would be
enforced
- e.g bombing of civilians banned, but
production of war planes not
- Use of chemical weapons banned –
but countries refused to agree not to
manufacture chemical weapons
German disarmament
• Problem = what to do about Germany
• Germany had been in League for 6 years
- Many countries thought that Germany should be treated more equally
• Question: should Germany be allowed to rearm to level of the other
powers OR should the other powers disarm to Germany’s level?
Chronology:
• Germany left Disarmament Conference mid - 1932: in protest
• League – Germany should be allowed to rearm (BIG RISK)
• Germany returned to conference
• Germany started to rearm from 1933 (under Hitler)
• Britain proposed a dramatic disarmament plan – rejected by Conference
• 1933 Germany left Disarmament Conference and the League
• Disarmament Conference failed – 1934
Reasons for failure
• Doomed from the start: noone was really committed
to disarmament
• Divide between Britain and
France
• British people by 1935 felt
that the Treaty of Versailles
was unfair
- 1935 signed Anglo-German
naval agreement (shocked
French)
- Allowed Germany to build
up its navy to 35% size of
Britain
- Britain did not consult other
members of the League
• Clearly countries were
working in own interests
How did Mussolini’s invasion of Abyssinia
damage the League?
• Final blow to work of the League = Abyssinia
• Like Japan = wanted to expand empire; leading power in League
• Unlike Manchuria = Abyssinia close to Eur; Br had interests in Africa
• Italy had border with France
• Br: Abyssinia on border on Anglo (British) – Egyptian border; colonies
(Uganda, Kenya, British Somaliland)
• League couldn’t argue (unlike Manchuria) that Italy was too far to
reach
Background
•
•
•
1896: Italy defeated by poorly equipped army (humiliated)
Wanted revenge
Wanted to acquire wealth, raw materials, fertile lands
BUT mainly wanted to show his strength
Wanted to ‘restore the glory of the Roman Empire’
1934 dispute (conflict) bet Italian and Abyssinian troops at border (known
as the Wal-Wal incident)
- Mussolini saw an opportunity: claimed that it was Italian territory,
demanded an apology
- Mussolini demanded an apology
• Abyssinian emperor (Haile Selassie) appealed to League for help
Phase One
• Jan 1935-Oct 1935 Mussolini supposedly negotiated with the League
• BUT same time was shipping his large army to Abyssinia and
gathering support from Italian people (promising a ‘place in the sun’)
• Br and Fr didn’t take situation seriously
- Needed Mussolini as an ally against Hitler
• Signed Stresa Pact with Mussolini early 1935
-statement against German rearmament; agreement to stand vs
Germany
• Some think = Mussolini thought that by signing Stresa Front- Br and
Fr were turning a blind eye to invasion
• BUT rise in Br public opposition to Italy’s actions
• Vote taken in Britain in ‘34-’35 – majority of public supported military
action in Abyssinia
• Br politicians promised to ‘get tough’
- BUT they actually never did anything to stop Mussolini
• 4 September 1935: League stated that neither side was responsible
for Wal-Wal incident
• Suggested a plan that would give part of Abyssinia to Mussolini
(breaking idea of collective security)
- Rejected by Mussolini
Phase Two: sanctions/not?
• Oct 1935: Mussolini’s army launched full scale invasion of Abyssinia
• Abyssinians did not have the force or modern weapons to defeat the
Italians (who had tanks, planes, chemical weapons)
• League was designed to help smaller countries vs bigger aggressive
nations – had obvious opportunity to intervene
• Punishment = clear steps (most effective = sanctions)
- Committee set up to decide on nature of sanctions
• Sanctions = only effective if they are imposed quickly
- instead, there were constant delays in process (which gave Mussolini
more time to build up raw materials)
•
•
•
-
League banned
loans to Italy
Imports from Italy
Export of rubber, tin, metals to Italy
BUT most effective would have been a ban on oil to Italy
League was afraid that US would not support sanctions
Worried that members’ economic interests would be damaged
Br – worried because sanctions would have resulted in loss of 30,000 coal
mining jobs
MOST NB: Br and Fr controlled Suez canal was not closed to Mussolini’s
supply ships
Main route to Abyssinia for Italian supplies
Could have ended Italian invasion quickly
BUT Br and FR worried that closing canal = war with Italy
Hoare-Laval Pact
• Secret deal bet Br and Fr foreign ministers (Hoare and Laval)
• WHILE sanction discussions were taking place, Hoare and Laval drew
up a plan to give 2/3 Abyssinia to Mussolini if he stopped the invasion
- This was behind the League’s back
• France stated that they would not agree to sanctions in Br rejected
plan
• BUT details of plan exposed to French media
- Disaster for League’s reputation
- Slowed down talks about implementing sanctions
• Hoare and Laval fired but damage had already been done
• Finally in Feb 1936decision made that Italy’s oil reserves would run
out in 2 months even if the Americans continued to trade with them
BUT it was already too late
- Mussolini had taken over most of Abyssinia
• Americans blocked a decision to apply sanctions: increased oil exports
to Italy
Outcomes
• Hitler realised that the League were unlikely to intervene in conflicts
• While League was concentrating on Abyssinian Crisis, he invaded the
Rhineland in Fed 1936
• French were desperate for Italian support vs Hitler – so determined to
block any sanctions
• By May ‘36 Addis Ababa (capital) captured by Italians
- 9 May colonised whole of Italy
Implications for the League
• Clearly showed inability to protect any nations
- Collective security had failed
• 1936 Mussolini and Hitler signed agreement: Rome-Berlin Axis
• Clearly the League had failed
• TURNING POINT for the League
• Disaster for the world