THE STRUCTURE OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS
The cartoon below comments on the biggest structural flaw of the League of Nations.
Despite it being the brainchild of Woodrow Wilson, the US congress, overwhelmed by isolationists, elected not to join the league. Many historians cite this as the single biggest factor as to why the League of Nations ultimately failed to preserve international peace. Starved of the USA's considerable economic and military power, the League was toothless when confronted by powerful nations. Moreover, leadership of the League was claimed by Britain and France who, without the counterpoint of the US, used it as a vehicle to promote their own interests (i.e. preserving their overseas empires).
The overwhelming focus of this unit is to examine to what extent the League of Nations was a success. The short answer is that it failed on its biggest aim- to preserve international peace by promoting collective security. However, it would be unfair to cast it as a complete failure. There were some diplomatic successes, mostly involving arbitration of disputes involving smaller powers, and the progress made on a range of issues by League agencies was also very encouraging.
However, any examination of the effectiveness of the League of Nations has to begin with its structure.
Membership
Of the major powers, the USA never joined. Germany and the USSR only joined in 1926 and 1934 respectively. Italy and Japan joined the League as soon as it was established in 1919 but had left by 1937 and 1933 respectively. Britain and France were the only power countries who remained members of the League throughout its short history and some British politicians admitted that if they had predicted the US decision to not join the League, they would have voted against membership as well.
As de facto leaders of the league, Britain and France used it to promote their own interests and were prepared to undermine it in order to meet their objectives. For example, France would happily bypass the League to protect itself against Germany.
The Council
This was the forerunner of the UN Security Council. There were four permanent members in 1919:
Temporary members were voted to serve on the council for 3 year periods. The number of temporary members varied from 4 to 9 during different times of the League's history.
The Council met 5 times a year and in case of emergency. The aim of the Council was to resolve disputes peacefully by discussion although it was given a range of powers which included:
The Council had to vote in order to agree on a particular action, although the permanent members had the power of veto. This meant they could stop the Council from acting, even if all the other members agreed.
The Assembly
Essentially the League's parliament. Each member country sent a representative. The Assembly could recommend action to the council but met only once a year. Any action had to have unanimous approval from all members for it to take effect.
The Secretariat
This body was responsible for the day-to-day workings of the League and ensured that all bureaucracy was maintained throughout the year. This included record keeping, preparing reports for meetings and coordinating different agencies.
Agencies
Permanent Court of International Justice - would rule in cases of border disputes and could give legal advice to member countries. Could decide who was the aggressor in disputes, although it had no powers to impose its rulings.
International Labour Organization (ILO) - aimed to improve working conditions worldwide
Refugees Commission- aimed to return refugees to their home countries after WWI
Slavery Commission- aimed to abolish slavery
Health Commission - aimed to deal with world health issues
The overwhelming focus of this unit is to examine to what extent the League of Nations was a success. The short answer is that it failed on its biggest aim- to preserve international peace by promoting collective security. However, it would be unfair to cast it as a complete failure. There were some diplomatic successes, mostly involving arbitration of disputes involving smaller powers, and the progress made on a range of issues by League agencies was also very encouraging.
However, any examination of the effectiveness of the League of Nations has to begin with its structure.
Membership
Of the major powers, the USA never joined. Germany and the USSR only joined in 1926 and 1934 respectively. Italy and Japan joined the League as soon as it was established in 1919 but had left by 1937 and 1933 respectively. Britain and France were the only power countries who remained members of the League throughout its short history and some British politicians admitted that if they had predicted the US decision to not join the League, they would have voted against membership as well.
As de facto leaders of the league, Britain and France used it to promote their own interests and were prepared to undermine it in order to meet their objectives. For example, France would happily bypass the League to protect itself against Germany.
The Council
This was the forerunner of the UN Security Council. There were four permanent members in 1919:
- Britain
- France
- Italy
- Japan
Temporary members were voted to serve on the council for 3 year periods. The number of temporary members varied from 4 to 9 during different times of the League's history.
The Council met 5 times a year and in case of emergency. The aim of the Council was to resolve disputes peacefully by discussion although it was given a range of powers which included:
- Moral Condemnation- criticizing an aggressor
- Economic Sanctions- refusing to trade with an aggressor
- Military Force
The Council had to vote in order to agree on a particular action, although the permanent members had the power of veto. This meant they could stop the Council from acting, even if all the other members agreed.
The Assembly
Essentially the League's parliament. Each member country sent a representative. The Assembly could recommend action to the council but met only once a year. Any action had to have unanimous approval from all members for it to take effect.
The Secretariat
This body was responsible for the day-to-day workings of the League and ensured that all bureaucracy was maintained throughout the year. This included record keeping, preparing reports for meetings and coordinating different agencies.
Agencies
Permanent Court of International Justice - would rule in cases of border disputes and could give legal advice to member countries. Could decide who was the aggressor in disputes, although it had no powers to impose its rulings.
International Labour Organization (ILO) - aimed to improve working conditions worldwide
Refugees Commission- aimed to return refugees to their home countries after WWI
Slavery Commission- aimed to abolish slavery
Health Commission - aimed to deal with world health issues
