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Why the League was set up:
- To provide countries with a peaceful means of settling disputes.
- To solve social problems that could lead to conflict between the countries.
When the League succeeded:
- 1920 - Finland and Sweden both wanted the Aland islands - investigated and awarded the islands to Finland - Sweden accepted the decision.
- 1921 - Germany and Poland wanted Upper Silesia - the League got the people living in these areas to vote and split the area according to the votes - both Germany and Poland accept that the decision.
- 1925 - Greece invaded Bulgaria - the League ordered Greece to withdraw - Greece agreed.
- The League was successful in solving social problems- e.g. Helping refugees return to their homes after the war - helping the spread of contagious diseases - reduced the smuggling of cheap labour, opium and other dangerous chemicals.
When the League failed:
- 1920 - Poland seized Vilna, the former capital of Lithuania - The League did nothing.
- 1920 - 1922 - war broke out between Greece and Turkey - The League couldn't prevent the war.
- 1923 - Germany stopped paying reparations - France and Belgium to the German industrial area of the Ruhr - the League nothing.
Why the League was ineffective:
- The USA was not a member - if the USA had been a member, it could have used its resources and position to influence other members to accept Leagues decisions.
- The League did not have any military force - This was a disadvantage because it meant that the League had no power to make any member accept its decision.
- Members put their own country’s interest first and did not support the League’s actions - for example, in 1923, an Italian general was murdered in Greece, Italy took the Greek island of Corfu. The League decided that Greece would pay compensation to Italy but the League would hold the money first. Italy went behind the League’s back and force Greece to pay to Italy directly.
Was the League a complete failure?
- Yes if you look only at its peace-keeping Efforts. However, the League cannot fully be blamed as it depended on its members’ support. If the members chose to ignore the League, no actions could be taken. Moreover, without a military force, the League could not take effective action against aggressor countries.
- No, the League did enjoy some successes at peace-keeping. Also, it has been quite successful in solving social problems.
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